Proton M’sia’s ‘first and only proper OEM’: Faisal Albar

Malaysian carmaker Proton was the first, and still is the only proper OEM car manufacturer in the country, said chairman of Proton Holdings Berhad Datuk Seri Syed Faisal Albar. Despite the Proton X70 being a relation of the Geely Boyue, Proton isn’t going to just rebadge models from the Chinese brand, he said.

Proton will, however, be using the Tanjung Malim plant that has been augmented for right-hand-drive exports of Geely models, and the CKD Proton X70. That said, will Proton continue as a full-fledged manufacturer, going into the future? “Yes, definitely,’ the chairman said, which means that research and development of future Proton models will remain in-house.

Localisation of the CKD Proton X70 will be gradually increased as part of the automaker’s commitment to its vendors, Proton CEO Li Chunrong said last month. At the launch of Proton’s new corporate identity today, Li confirmed that the CKD X70 will be the first to wear the new logo, with other current models to follow suit when they are updated in due course.