KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's national automaker Proton has begun construction of its new electric vehicle (EV) production plant at its high-tech Tanjung Malim facility in Malaysia.
Proton said in a statement on Friday that targeted for completion by the end of 2025 at an investment cost of 82 million ringgit (18.46 million U.S. dollars), the first phase of the company's EV assembly plant will have an initial planned capacity of 20,000 units per year.
Once completed, it will produce multiple models based on the Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform starting with the Proton e.MAS 7, the first EV model from a Malaysian automotive brand.
Proton already has plans in place for a second phase of its new production plant in anticipation of growing acceptance and demand for EVs from its customers.
This will ramp up production capacity to 45,000 units per annum and will be implemented based on sales demand in Malaysia and overseas markets.
"The vehicles produced here at this new plant will serve our domestic customers and export market while becoming a catalyst to driving the growth of the EV market," said Li Chunrong, chief executive officer of Proton.
He noted that once completed, this new factory would focus on producing the Proton e.MAS 7 as well as future new energy vehicle offerings as Proton expands its model range.
"Ultimately, we hope our success will establish a modern and capable automotive ecosystem to encourage more original equipment manufacturers to consider Malaysia and Automotive High-Tech Valley as a regional base for EVs," he added. ■
