Malaysia Opens First EV Plant with Backing from China’s Geely

Proton launches Malaysia’s first EV plant with Geely stake as country targets 20% EV sales by 2030.
Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim sits inside Proton’s first locally produced electric vehicle, the e.MAS 7, during its launch in Kuala Lumpur, December 16, 2024. The model, backed by China’s Geely, is built at Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant. (Photo: Hari Anggara/NurPhoto via AFP)

Malaysia’s Proton launched its first electric vehicle assembly plant on Thursday with backing from China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The country aims to position itself as a regional hub for EV production.

The facility is located in the Automotive High-Tech Valley in western Perak state. It costs about $17.5 million to develop and will initially produce 20,000 units a year.

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by Edwin Shri Bimo

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