PROTON’s evolution from domestic manufacturer to regional production hub for Geely

Since starting off as Malaysia’s first national automaker in 1984, PROTON has evolved in an almost similar way as other automakers. Originally conceived to provide affordable transportation for Malaysians and also to help develop the domestic automotive industry, the automaker has steadily advanced into being a full-fledged manufacturer with capabilities spanning the entire process of developing a car to making it and then selling it.

Assembling overseas
From being assisted in developing its capabilities to make cars for the home market, PROTON has also been exporting some of its production to other countries. In some cases, it is also ships CKD (completely knocked-down) packs to some countries for local assembly, just as other automakers have been assembling their vehicles in Malaysia.

It has long been the objective of the government for Malaysia to be an automotive hub in the region, and PROTON has been spearheading this effort. With the expansion of its production facilities and higher output at its manufacturing complex in Tg. Malim, Perak, PROTON’s exports have been growing rapidly, in tandem with increasing sales in the domestic market.

International sales for the first nine months of 2026 recorded 7,370 units, exceeding the 6,000 units exported during the whole of 2025.

Assembling for Geely
And in a reversal of the days when PROTON assembled some models of other brands to sell under its own brand, it is now assembling some models for Geely at its plant for export to neighbouring countries. This allows the Malaysian automaker to increase facility utilization, achieve broader manufacturing scale, and for Geely, it also has benefits of intra-ASEAN trading.

Push to elevate standards
According to PROTON Deputy CEO, Dato’ Ir. Abdul Rashid Musa, these international production programs challenge the workforce to continuously elevate standards and build with stricter manufacturing discipline. The resulting expertise directly benefits the production quality of local Proton models which ultimately benefits Proton customers.

“For Malaysia, the value of these programmes extends beyond the number of vehicles exported. They bring overseas demand into our manufacturing operations, generate export earnings and create business opportunities across the wider economy. As we grow, we want Tanjong Malim to make an increasingly significant contribution to PROTON’s competitiveness and Malaysia’s automotive industry,” he added.

Integrated production ecosystem
The Tanjong Malim manufacturing complex operates as an integrated production ecosystem with an annual capacity of 250,000 units. It has stamping, body assembly, paint, trim, and final assembly lines.

This is complemented by the Advanced Powertrain Hub, which produces internal combustion engines alongside hybrid transmissions, electric drive units, and dual-clutch transmissions. CVT transmissions are concurrently supplied by Punch, which set up its own production plant within the Automotive High Tech Valley in Perak.

Following the closure of the original factory last year, PROTON has consolidated its research, development, and engineering operations at the Tg. Malim complex. This further strengthens the Automotive High-Tech Valley initiative, offering a proven operational template for prospective component suppliers and technology partners.

PROTON’s engine plant is now an advanced regional powertrain hub