When the Malaysian National Car project was first announced, one of the questions people had was ‘what defines a Malaysian car?’ Was it the design? Was it the features? That’s hard to answer, as there were no ‘national cars’ although some models like the Hyundai Pony and Toyota Kijang were regarded as ‘national cars’ in their countries.
Design evolved over the years although American cars were recognisable for being very big whereas, at the opposite end of the spectrum, Japanese cars were typically small. So there was no design that really provided a car with a ‘national identity’.
![Proton Saga [1985]](https://www.motaauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Proton-Saga-1985.jpg)
In later years, Proton did explore some ideas like spaces for storing the Quran and a prayer mat, as well as a kiblat to indicate the direction towards Mecca. This was part of a project said to be with partners in Iran and Turkey to make the car more useful for Muslims.
Modern Protons have some elements of a Malaysian identity. This is the ‘Infinite Weave’ conceived by PROTON Design for the X70’s grille. The design feature incorporates songket diamond details, inspired by traditional Malay textile patterns, linking to cultural heritage. Distinctive repeating patterns of the Infinite Weave exemplify infinite movement, according to PROTON Design’s head, Azlan Othman.
An industry-first
Now PROTON has come out with something that is truly Malaysian and it’s in the latest X50 that was launched recently. The infotainment system can now recognise Bahasa Melayu and this is a global first as no other automaker’s system has the capability to recognise this Malaysian language.
‘Aisyah’ at your service
The Bahasa Melayu Voice Recognition (VR) system is known as ‘Aisyah’, giving a human (and female) feel whenever there is interaction to request an action (eg open the window) or asking a question. The English VR is maintained, and drivers can now also switch to the Bahasa Melayu VR.
The new VR system was developed in collaboration with ACO Tech, a joint venture company with PROTON specialising in smart mobility solutions. The project originally haD a 12-month time-frame but was shortened to 7 months and involved over 336,000 man-hours.
During development, 4,000 Bahasa Melayu and 4,000 English command variations were collected. More than 200 samples of standard Bahasa Malaysia, evenly split between male and female speakers, were meticulously recorded to ensure accuracy across a wide range of phrases, including natural language variations like ‘buka tingkap’ and ‘bukakan tingkap’. Regional dialects have also been taken into consideration so the VR is quite versatile.
PROTON’s VR system is 7 years old
Just as Proton popularised the automatic transmission with Malaysians when it introduced the Saga 1.5I in 1988, the automaker can also be credited with having made Voice Recognition more widely available when it introduced the X70 in 2017. Before that time, VR was available only in more expensive premium and luxury models.
The introduction of VR in the X70, the first product of the partnership between DRB-HICOM and Geely, was the beginning of the ‘Intelligence that Inspires’ theme which has seen more advanced features such as remote vehicle control, smartphone connectivity and 360-degree cameras being offered in Proton models.
The VR journey started in 2018 with the introduction of the Geely Smart Ecosystem (GKUI) in the X70. In 2022, the X50 became the first connected vehicle in Malaysia to adopt the infotainment head unit with ATLAS (ACO Tech Local Automotive Services) OS and a localised VR system optimised for Malaysian English.
The ‘Hi Proton’ voice command system allowed users to control various functions, such as dialling a phone number, navigation, opening the windows and sunroof, and making adjustments to the radio, music, and air-conditioning. It contributed to driving safety as it allowed the driver to perform many actions while keeping the hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road.
Owners of Proton vehicles have been making use of their VR system extensively as PROTON’s data reveals. The company’s internal data for June 2025 shows ‘Hello’ to be the most frequently spoken word with 43,896 commands recorded, followed by queries beginning with the words ‘What’ – such as ‘What is the weather like today?’ – and ‘Call’ with 40,779 and 24,647 commands, respectively. Total VR interactions in June reached 2.8 million with 228,046 active users.
Enhancements via OTA updates
Future enhancements of the VR system will be delivered via over-the-air (OTA) updates. With OTA, the owner can have the updates transmitted to the vehicle and automatically incorporated, making it unnecessary to visit the service centre. OTA helps to keep the car’s systems ‘fresh’ over a longer period.
Further enhancements to the VR system include expanding its vocabulary and giving it the capability to understand a wider range of commands. For example, ‘I want to see the sky’ could be interpreted by the system as wanting to open the sunroof. While currently optimised for female voices, the team is developing male voice recognition and exploring the integration of additional languages and dialects in future.
“The introduction of Bahasa Melayu voice recognition in the All-New Proton X50 solidifies PROTON’s position as a pioneer in automotive technology, truly embodying the spirit of ‘made by locals for locals’. It is a natural progression for us to integrate Bahasa Melayu in our system, ensuring our technology resonates deeply with the local drivers. We are incredibly proud to introduce the world’s first Bahasa Melayu voice recognition system in the All-New Proton X50,”. said Zhang Qiang, Deputy CEO of PROTON Edar.
Pay & Go system integrated with ACO Tech’s ATLAS system in Protons
