Earlier today, Proton published a teaser on its Facebook and Instagram page pointing to a special event that will take place on 12 June. Given the post’s description which includes PROTONEV as its hashtag, it seems that the national automaker may reveal its new EV at the event.
This is surprising given that Proton just concluded its Decode The Future contest last Wednesday, 5 June. However, there is no obvious sign in the teaser that an actual vehicle will be revealed at the event.
After all, Proton still has some time left before the company has to meet its commitment to the government concerning the rollout of a Proton EV by 2025. So, next week’s event might be just the unveiling of Proton EV’s “brand name” which is still a significant milestone in its journey towards electrification.
Proton EV to be under a new sub-brand?
Per our report, we believe that Proton might release the EV under a brand-new sub-brand focusing on EV models. This is because the Decode The Future contest asked the public to guess the EV’s “brand name”.
Proton didn’t exactly specify what exactly it meant by “brand name” but we don’t think it is the name of the EV series or the car itself. Having a dedicated sub-brand is nothing new in the automotive industry and even Proton’s co-parent, Geely has several sub-brands under its name including Galaxy which focuses on hybrid as well as EVs.
Speaking about Geely Galaxy, a model called E5 has been rumoured as the main candidate for Proton’s first-ever EV since the model was developed with a right-hand variant right from the beginning. That being said, most of the official information regarding the E5 has not yet been released by Geely.
Geely Galaxy China’s website did say that the E5 is 4,616mm long and 1,901mm wide alongside a wheelbase of 2,750mm. On the other hand, a listing by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) noted that the E5 features a 160kW (215hp) electric motor, capable of delivering a top speed of 175km/h and powered by an LFP battery pack although the capacity was not mentioned.
