Proton recently joined hands with the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MECD), alongside with two government agencies to bring suppliers of government-linked companies and Proton personnel to attend the Market Access, Technology Transfer & Vendor Enhancement Program in China.
This initiative was aimed at fostering innovation, enhance commercialisation activities and support Malaysia’s transition towards sustainable mobility.
Organised by MECD and led by the Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF), the program’s objective is to help accelerate the development of next-generation vehicles and battery electric vehicles through strategic partnerships and technological exchanges.
During the trip, representatives from MBSB Bank, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, PLUS Expressways, UEM Edgenta Bhd, Telekom Malaysia as well as 22 Malaysian vendors visited EV-related facilities such as component plants, charger plants and stations, batteries and charger producers in 7 places in China.
As a global leader in EVs, China’s comprehensive ecosystem for EV development made this program highly significant, offering insights into manufacturing, facilities and services within the EV industry.
Collaboration with suppliers in China
To facilitate interactions between Proton’s suppliers and Geely EV suppliers, business matchmaking sessions were held at the Geely Research Centre during the programme. 95% of the participants were satisfied with the session that helped to identify potential partnerships and collaborations for EV component supply chains.
Among all participants, 87% of local suppliers expressed the intention to collaborate with China suppliers with the top 5 partnership by category as distributorship, collaboration in technology transfer, joint venture partner, collaboration in skill development and investment for joint business.
“This program marks a key milestone in advancing Malaysia’s automotive capabilities. The partnership and tech exchanges during these visits are vital for strengthening our local supply chain, especially in electric vehicle components. This effort supports the National Automotive Policy 2020, positioning Malaysia as a leader in the region’s EV industry,” said Azrul Reza Aziz, Chief Executive Officer of MARii.
New models and design concepts
In a separate trip to China a month earlier, Proton previewed upcoming models and design concepts to gain more insights on the development work done by the design team in meeting local and global market needs. The viewing event was attended by representatives from the Proton Vendors Association and Proton Edar Dealers Association.
“The experience provided vendors and dealers valuable insights into the global automotive market dynamics and reinforces Proton’s leadership in delivering cutting-edge vehicles tailored to diverse consumer preferences. Some of the safety technologies and luxurious interior in the models were way beyond their market segment. With strong demand for technological advanced vehicles at competitive prices, all the models are poised to make a significant impact to the market,” said Thomas Lim, President of the Proton Vendors Association.
“Proton’s recent trips have demonstrated a strong commitment to product innovation and a strategic approach for introducing new models both locally and globally. This underscores the need for increased collaboration and technology exchanges to ensure the long-term resilience of the automotive sector in Malaysia and to accelerate progress towards these ambitious goals,” said Dr. Li Chunrong, CEO of Proton Holdings Bhd.