KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd today inked a new memorandum of agreement (MoA) with smart Automobile Co Ltd, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely Group, at the 2023 China-Asean Expo in Nanning, China.
Under the new MoA, both parties are to study the feasibility of locally assembling smart vehicles at Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant, it said in a statement today.
It said the signing comes exactly 20 months after both parties inked a similar document in 2022 that led to the appointment of Proton as the official distributor for smart vehicles in Malaysia and Thailand.
“The new MoA between Proton and smart Automobile brings our collaboration to a new level as now we are talking about assembling smart models in Malaysia.
“As an automotive manufacturer, Proton always intended to raise our involvement with smart beyond distribution for the Asean region as there are many efficiencies to take advantage of because both companies are members of the Geely Group,” said chief executive officer Li Chunrong.
The national carmaker noted that following the MoA signing in 2022, Proton has made big strides in its efforts to represent smart in the region.
“Proton has committed to introducing more new energy vehicles (NEV) in the future. After the launch of the Proton X90, our first NEV, we are excited by the opportunity to learn more about electric vehicles (EVs) from our collaboration with smart.
“Going forward, all our production activities will be centred at the Automotive High Tech Valley in Tanjung Malim, which will also help in our goal to turn Malaysia into a regional EV hub,” said Li.
— Bernama
