Quick look:
- The event celebrates the warmth, hospitality and community spirit of East Malaysia through a series of cultural engagements.
- Aside from its promotional value, the event serves as an engineering and validation exercise for the vehicles.
The PROTON 10,000 sMILEs Expedition is now underway in East Malaysia. This cross-border long-distance drive, organized in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism initiative, will travel through Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei.
Carrying localised campaign expressions such as ‘Senyum Dulu Bah’ and ‘Senyum Sikit, Mok Nangga’, the event celebrates the warmth, hospitality and community spirit of East Malaysia through a series of cultural engagements, customer interactions, dealership activities and community-driven experiences.
The journey, which commenced during the Kaamatan festive season in Sabah, will pass through major urban centres, rural settlements, and travel along coastal highways and mountainous highland routes across the East Malaysian states and neighbouring Brunei. The entire journey is divided into 5 distinct travel stages.
The vehicles in the fleet consist of 3 popular models from the current Proton line-up – the Saga, X50 and S70. They have not received any modifications for the journey and are standard models the public can buy Proton showrooms across Malaysia.
10% to 21% market share
For PROTON, the East Malaysian market has historically served as a volume contributor, particularly for the three models mentioned. Over a 7-year period (from 2018 to 2025), the Malaysian automaker recorded significant volume growth in the region, with annual sales growing from 7,697 units to 29,461 units.
This represents a 283% increase in volume, which effectively doubled the Proton’s regional market share from 10% to 21% over the same timeframe.
Supporting market growth
To support this growth in the Proton vehicle population, there is now a network consisting of 26 sales and service outlets in Sabah and Sarawak, along with 2 sales facilities in Brunei.
A dedicated Regional Parts Centre is also operational in East Malaysia to manage parts distribution logistics and improve service turnaround times at dealerships.
Real-world validation
Aside from its promotional value, the event serves as an engineering and validation exercise for the vehicles. The convoy participants, including media representatives and content creators, will be driving the vehicles across varied terrain that includes steep mountain slopes, unpaved rural tracks and high-speed coastal routes with changing tropical weather conditions.
This will allow the R&D personnel to gather real-world operational data on how ride comfort, fuel consumption, mechanical reliability, and safety systems perform during the long drive and in conditions unique to Borneo, where motorists routinely cover longer single-trip distances than those on the peninsular.
Proton stories
As the convoy progresses through the region, PROTON will collect and document stories from customers, families and local communities whose lives and journeys have grown alongside the national brand over the past 40 years.
The initiative reflects PROTON’s broader aspiration to remain connected to Malaysians through experiences that extend beyond mobility, reinforcing the role of the brand as part of everyday life across generations and regions.
Strengthening brand connection
“As a national automotive brand, our responsibility goes beyond building vehicles. It is about building meaningful relationships with the communities that have supported us throughout the years,” said Dato’ Ir. Abdul Rashid Musa, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.
“Sabah and Sarawak are home to generations of loyal Proton customers, and the PROTON 10,000 sMILEs Expedition reflects our appreciation for their continued support. Through this journey, we want to strengthen our connection with the people of East Malaysia, showcase how our vehicles perform in real-world conditions, and continue building trust through better products, stronger aftersales support and meaningful community engagement while celebrating the unique culture, traditions and destinations across Borneo.”
