Proton EV is one step closer to reality after the national automaker officially unveiled Proton e.MAS as the name of the company’s new EV-oriented sub-brand. No actual vehicle was revealed at today’s event but the company said that the first Proton e.MAS EV will be launched by the end of 2024.
Proton EV will be built on Proton Global Mobile Architecture platform
The foundation of the upcoming Proton e.MAS models will be the new Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform which the company co-developed with Geely.
Proton did not reveal in-depth details about GMA at today’s event aside from the fact that the platform covers multiple body types. In addition to that, GMA has also been developed to support various EV setups including battery-powered (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid (HEV).
The first model which is codenamed Proton GMA 01 is expected to be officially launched in December 2024. However, there has been a persistent rumour that the first-ever Proton EV will be based on the Geely Galaxy E5.
Proton e.MAS dealerships are being established nationwide
Meanwhile, Proton has also taken advantage of today’s event to reveal that it already established a dealership network for the new Proton e.MAS EV sub-brand. In fact, 17 dealerships have been appointed so far and the company aim to increase that number to 30 by 2025.
Once again, very little detail was mentioned on stage although the presentation by Proton’s Senior Director of Corporate Strategy, Yusri Yusuf mentioned that there will be two types of Proton e.MAS outlets. One of them is the 3S-level Proton EV Centre while the other one is the 1S-level Proton EV Space which will be deployed at shopping malls and “brand centre” locations.
The presentation also listed down several services that customers can expect at these Proton e.MAS establishments. They include the sales, vehicle service, and body & paint services as well as EV chargers.
Why Proton e.MAS is named as such?
According to the Chief Designer of Proton, the letter e in the name stands for Electrification while the MAS is for Malaysia. Proton e.MAS models will feature an e.MAS badge on its back and while there will still be a tiger head logo on the front part of the e.MAS EVs, the new logo has a flattened 2D design as opposed to the 3D logo that Proton is using on its current ICE models.
Those who followed Proton’s progress over the years may have remembered that the automaker has used the EMAS name before although not for a vehicle that was released into the market. In 2010, Proton unveiled three concept cars that were collectively called Proton EMAS which stands for Eco Mobility Advance Solution.
Shown at the Geneva Auto Show 2010, these concept PHEVs were designed by Italdesign Guigiaro in collaboration with Lotus Engineering. So, in a way, the unveiling of Proton EV’s brand name today seems like a full-circle moment for Proton in its journey towards electrification.
