Quick look
♦ PROTON’s Shah Alam test track and Tg. Malim R&D lab to be shared facilities.
♦ 5-year collaboration to develop the National Automotive Test Centre (NATC).
♦ 200 PROTON R&D talents will contribute to the development of future products and components.
When operations ceased at PROTON’s manufacturing complex in Shah Alam, Selangor, last month, many wondered what would become of the 54.3-acre test track that is next to the factory. It was in existence from the time the factory began operations and was upgraded with banking in 1995.
National Automotive Test Centre
The good news is that the test track will continue to serve its purpose for R&D but with a role beyond being only for PROTON. The test track will become part of the National Automotive Test Centre (NATC) now being developed under a collaboration between the Malaysian automaker and the Malaysia Automotive Robotics & IoT Institute (MARii).
Making the test track a shared facility for the NATC is one of the elements of the agreement signed in the Strategic Collaboration documents by PROTON and MARii at the recent 2025 Global Automotive and Technology Expo (GATE 2025) in Kuala Lumpur.
“PROTON’s agreement with MARii enhances the company’s commitment to the automotive industry in Malaysia while fulfilling our responsibility in realising the goals of the National Industrial Master Plan. There is a lot of potential for the NATC to contribute towards developing new technology and new models, and we hope it leads to the realisation of the country’s ambitions to be a regional automotive force,” said Dr. Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.
The agreement outlines a 5-year collaboration between the two parties covering areas such as the development of a NATC, and for 200 PROTON R&D engineers and technical personnel to be given hands-on R&D exposure via a structured programme. Besides the test track, PROTON’s R&D test lab at its Tanjong Malim, Perak complex will also be a shared facility for the NATC.
Shared industry resource
Additionally, MARii and PROTON will collaborate to build a new NATC facility with both parties contributing towards the construction costs. The NATC will be an industry-wide facility open to other automotive manufacturer, industry players, research institutes, and academia. Operational tasks for the facility will be led by MARii and supported by various stakeholders, including PROTON.
Nurturing expertise in NEVs
Another target is for the nurturing of 200 PROTON R&D talents who will contribute to the development of future products and components, especially related to New Energy Vehicles (NEV). In the long term, this will assist in realising the goal of turning the Automotive High Tech Valley into a regional centre for the development and production of NEV models and components.
“MARii is committed to supporting the national industrial agenda outlined in the National Industrial Master Plan 2030 and the National Automotive Policy 2020. This collaboration with PROTON strengthens Malaysia’s capabilities in next-generation mobility through shared testing facilities, structured R&D development, and expanded engineering capacity for new energy vehicles,” said Azrul Reza Aziz, Chief Executive Officer of MARii.
