PROTON is considering to bring in premium electric automobile brand Zeekr as part of the national automaker's next phase of New Energy Vehicle (NEV) segment.
Founded in 2021, Zeekr is a premium electric automobile brand owned by Geely Automobile Holdings that specializes in electric cars.
The brand, should it be brought in, will only be introduced after the smart #1 has been officially launched in Malaysia by Pro-Net in Q4 2023.
News of the brand's potential entry came about after international trade and industry minister (MITI) Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz made a visit to the Zeekr Intelligent Factory in Hangzhou Bay, Ningbo, China to preview a range of NEV models under Geely Group.
Zafrul was given a tour of the facilities and held discussions with Geely and Proton regarding the NEV and Intelligent Technology strategy during the visit, including a test drive session covering the NEV product range – passenger cars, sports utility vehicles (SUV), lifestyle pick-ups and commercial vehicles.
The visit to Ningbo comes a day after the Malaysia – China Business Forum which was held in Beijing for business leaders from both nations and was attended by Malaysia prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The event saw the signing of a Heads of Agreement (HOA) document between DRB-Hicom and Geely that sealed their commitment to jointly invest, manage, and develop the Automotive High Tech Valley (AHTV) in Tanjung Malim into a smart city and hub for Next Generation Vehicles (NxGV).
The AHTV is expected to attract investments worth an estimated RM32 billion over the next 10 years.
"I am pleased to highlight after five years into their partnership, Proton and Geely have made great strides in bringing new products, technology, and investment to Malaysia. Following the signing of the HOA in Beijing on April 1, it is now clear AHTV has great potential to attract RM32 billion of investment and today's visit to Ningbo demonstrates the Proton and Geely partnership will continue to prosper with the future implementation of NEV programmes.
"We acknowledge the importance of Malaysia becoming the regional hub for NxGV products hence Proton as the national brand will play an active role in contributing significantly towards achieving the nation's goals," said Proton chairman Datuk Seri Syed Faisal Albar.
To be competitive, Proton and the automotive ecosystem must invest in research and development (R&D), as well as advanced manufacturing processes. These goals are within reach with progressive development of AHTV and constant engagement among stakeholders especially the Malaysian government, DRB-Hicom, Geely Group, Proton and automotive ecosystem," he added.
As a start, Proton has established a permanent office at the Geely Automobile Research Institute (GRI) in Hangzhou Bay to facilitate all development activities between the engineering teams.
In a move to help accelerate the transfer of technology the national automaker has already assigned 18 engineers to be based there on the first phase of R&D and NEV development programmes with more to be assigned soon.
"Proton is now in the second half of its ten-year business plan. Besides the hiccups caused by two years of pandemic control measures, we are pleased with the progress made so far. Over the next five years, we aim to work even more closely with Geely and expand our offerings as the market for NEVs grows. This in turn will help develop the national automotive ecosystem and push Malaysia towards its target of being an NxGV hub.
"We will also expand our focus to include other aspects that support the industry. For example, charging infrastructure development is a priority for NEVs so we will optimize synergy with Geely group of companies to enhance the NEV infrastructure for Proton and the ecosystem in Malaysia," said Proton chief executive officer Dr. Li Chunrong.