Proton's Mission Accomplished - The X70 Is Now Made In Malaysia

When the Proton X70 was first launched on 12 December 2018, Proton made a promise that by the end of 2019 they would build the X70 at their swanky RM1.2 billion Tanjung Malim extension plant. 
By rolling off the X70 off the assembly line on 13 December 2019, they achieved what they set out to do a year ago.

"Today marks a historic milestone for PROTON as we take another step towards being a global automotive brand. By producing the Proton X70 in Tanjung Malim, we have taken a quantum leap in our abilities as this is by far our most ambitious undertaking to date. This new plant will not only produce future products jointly developed with Geely, but it will also be a centre for right-hand-drive production as we begin exports to countries all over the world," said Dato' Sri Syed Faisal Albar.

Speaking during the event, Mr An Conghui commented about PROTON's position within the Geely Auto Group as a valuable partner to grow sales in ASEAN markets. "PROTON has undergone a tremendous transformation over the past two years. This experience has worked out very well for us at Geely Auto as we are happy to help PROTON realize its global aspirations. We will continue to support PROTON as it grows in the Malaysian market and the wider ASEAN region and beyond," he added. 

More of Malaysia's best selling C-segment SUV will now roll off state of the art Tanjung Malim extension plant. Through the hard work and cooperation of local and overseas vendors, the SUV has ensured a supply chain of parts so that it can be built efficiently and on time.

The Tanjung Malim plant has not only managed to be a hub for building cars but has also unofficially set new developments in Malaysia's automotive vendor ecosystem. In their pursuit of making the X70 at the plant, Proton worked closely with local vendors and matched them with other companies who already supplied components for the SUV. This cooperation resulted in seven new joint-ventures and created a partnership between domestic and international companies. A total investment of RM263 million from technical agreements and foreign investment and the creation of 1,084 jobs were also some of the other outcomes of the ecosystem.

"For PROTON, a local supplier base will help them develop future models better suited to the wants and needs of Malaysian car buyers. With their aggressive future business expansion plans and their commitment to developing local vendors, more Malaysian companies and consumers will soon be able to benefit as a whole," said Datuk Darell Leiking