Roslan said discussions with potential partners were already in progress to enable Proton to understand how to market and sell these vehicles.

“After all, we can’t just jumpstart into producing EVs,” he told reporters after a panel discussion at the Invest Malaysia Series 2 event, titled “The Road to EV”.

Roslan said Proton started on its EV journey 10 years ago but the lack of market demand and technologies stalled the project.

“But the next five years (until 2027) will give us ample time to determine which technology is most acceptable, easy to maintain and affordable for consumers and us,” he said.

Roslan said that before embarking on its own EV journey, Proton hoped to gain some experience by serving as Smart Automobile Co Ltd’s distributor in Malaysia and Thailand.

“The collaboration with Smart Automobile and the task of distributing the smart cars will teach us how to assemble EVs locally,” he said.

Smart Automobile is a joint venture established by Mercedes-Benz AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd.

Roslan said stronger support from the government, better industry readiness and a shift in customer preference towards EVs would be essential to enable Proton to meet the challenges that new energy vehicles (NEV) face in penetrating the Malaysian market.

He said 13,800 units of NEVs have been sold so far, with hybrid EVs being more popular than battery-powered ones.

“There are major challenges to overcome, requiring time and collective effort.

“These challenges include Malaysia not having many affordable EV cars, slow consumer adoption, lack of clarity on EV charging infrastructure development, talent development in the EV segment and lack of investment in related technologies,” he said.

Roslan said more development and support for the EV industry is necessary for it to move forward.

“This includes research and development programmes, investment in the supply chain, technology and provision of better EV infrastructures,” he added.