Malaysian auto manufacturer Proton debuted for a second time in Singapore. This return comes after the brand exited the city-state in 2014. This time, Proton is introducing Singapore to its top-selling electric vehicle (EV), e.MAS 7.
THE RE-LAUNCH
Proton’s re-launch is led by its 11th CEO, Dr. Li Chunrong. Dr. Li stepped up as CEO in 2017, after a period of downturn and losses in the company’s history.
Singapore is Proton’s 3rd international market, following Nepal and Trinidad and Tobago.
“Singapore is a developed market and if we can get good performance in Singapore, I believe we can go to more countries,” said Proton CEO Li Chunrong. “That is why we want to go back to Singapore again.”
Proton plans to add a 4th international market, Mauritius, later this year.
THE e.MAS 7 IN SINGAPORE
After 11 years of absence, Proton is re-positioning itself in the Singaporean market. The Malaysian brand will now focus its efforts into marketing its EVs in the island nation. Its most popular model in Malaysia, e.MAS 7, will be its flagship model for the relaunch in Singapore.
In Singapore, the e.MAS 7 is categorised as a C-segment vehicle and comes in two variants: Prime and Premium. The Prime variant, or the base model, is priced at SGD 175,988 (AUD 206,470) while the Premium variant is priced at SGD 179,888 or AUD 211,046.
The introductory prices are part of a Founders Edition package, which will only be given to the first 99 buyers. The package includes unlimited-mileage warranty for the vehicle’s battery good for 10 years and an additional free five years of data roaming within Malaysia and Singapore.
Though Proton faces stiff competition from EV rival BYD in Singapore, its e.MAS 7 outsells BYD models on its home shores. Dr. Li hopes that e.MAS 7 and its safety features will allow Proton to also outsell BYD in Singapore.
“The Proton e.MAS 7 is the first step in Singapore for both the partnership between Proton and Vincar. We will add more models to the lineup in the future, focusing our attention on the New Energy Vehicles (NEV) market, which is well established in Singapore,” said Edmund Lim Meng Thong, Proton International Corporation’s CEO.
Next year, Proton will follow-up with the release of a smaller EV model, the e.MAS 5.
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