Proton chairman Syed Faisal Albar Syed Ali Rethza Albar said with the agreement, the first smart model to be sold by Proton during the first phase of the collaboration would be launched in early fourth quarter of next year.
He said Proton and smart would be able to expand their customer base and gain new revenue streams from more affluent and younger buyers in Malaysia and Thailand.
“We will also gain critical knowledge on how to market, sell and service new energy vehicles, which is a new market for us, and give better access to export markets like Thailand that has a well-established EV policy and consumer exposure.
“This is also an opportunity for Proton to push the development of the Automotive High Tech Valley in Tanjong Malim, Perak, while creating opportunities in the national automotive ecosystem,” he said in his speech at the signing ceremony here today.
He said the experience derived from selling and servicing smart vehicles as well as managing the operations of an EV business would pay dividends when it came to developing Proton’s own EV offerings.
Syed Faisal said Proton also planned to invest in a charging network and establish its own charging system for both private and public charging.
“This includes the provision, installation and maintenance of a charging wall box for home use while partnering with a local charging player for public charging service.
“Our public charging service plan is to cover the most popular driving routes to ease customer journeys and we need to ensure EV customers in more rural settings are served as quickly as those in more densely populated urban areas,” he said.
Proton deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah said some 10,000 smart EV units were targeted to be sold until 2027, or around 800 to 1,000 units per year in the Malaysian market.
The first EV smart model would be available in Thailand in the second half of 2024, he added.
Meanwhile, Proton CEO Li Chunrong said, “Today marks a big step for entry into the new EV market.
“The first phase of business with smart is focused on retailing but it provides us with valuable knowledge and experience not only on how to service and charge EVs but also on how to transform the way we interact with our customers.”
Proton’s progress into this market segment would also help to drive its move towards being more environmentally-friendly in all facets of its operations as the car maker worked to help Malaysia achieve its carbon neutrality target by 2050, Li added.
smart is a joint-venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely Group, with both parties leveraging synergies in research and development, manufacturing and supply chain to develop smart into a world-leading, premium EV technology brand.