Opening of EV plant takes Malaysia one step closer to auto hub goals

Country's first home-grown EV expected to roll out of Tanjong Malim later in September

- Lu Wei Hoong

TANJONG MALIM, Perak - Five gleaming white and dark silver cars took pride of place inside a factory in Perak as workers awaited the arrival of VIPs, including Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The cars were on display at Malaysia's national carmaker Proton's first electric vehicle (EV) assembly plant, which opened on Sept 4 at the Automotive High Technology Valley (AHTV) in Tanjong Malim, a city 80km north of Kuala Lumpur.

That is where Proton's first EV, the e.MAS 7, which has been manufactured in China since its launch in 2024, is expected to roll off local assembly lines later in September.

The first phase of Proton's EV plant, which has an initial investment of RM47 million (S$14.4 million), can assemble 20,000 vehicles a year, with a maximum capacity of 45,000 units a year once the 2.25ha facility is fully operational.

The opening of the plant takes Malaysia a step closer to its goal of positioning Tanjong Malim as the country's EV hub and attracting more industry players.

"The success of AHTV depends on how many carmakers are attracted (there) aside from Proton," Mr Anthony Lim, senior editor of the country's popular automotive website Paul Tan's Automotive News, told The Sunday Times.

In 2022, then Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Tanjong Malim had been earmarked as a hub for high-tech manufacturing and supply chains essential for advancing Malaysia's new vehicle industries, including EVs.

In particular, AHTV will spearhead the country's EV industry.

According to government plans, AHTV is expected to create 160,000 jobs across research and development, automotive-related vendors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), generating an estimated economic value of RM32 billion by 2030.