01
1979DECISION
Mahathir Mohamad pushes for a feasibility study on a Malaysian-made car.
The national car idea is presented as part of a broader industrialisation strategy rather than simply a vehicle-import substitution programme.
← ChronologyUpdated 5 Oct 2026
CHRONOLOGY · AUTOMOTIVE · PROTON
PROTON: from the national car project and Saga to Geely partnership and Malaysian EVs
A chronology of Malaysia's national car project from the 1979 feasibility push and 1985 Proton Saga through exports, changing ownership, the Geely partnership, the X70 and the e.MAS electric-vehicle era.
Year by year14 events1979-01-01 → 2026-07-09
ANIMATED CHRONOLOGY SUMMARYWatch the sequence before reading the full story.
1979-01-01→2026-07-09
STORY AT A GLANCE
Watch the sequence before reading the full story.
A chronology of Malaysia's national car project from the 1979 feasibility push and 1985 Proton Saga through exports, changing ownership, the Geely partnership, the X70 and the e.MAS electric-vehicle era.
14 EVENTS16 SOURCE LINKS
EVENT 1 OF 141979Mahathir Mohamad pushes for a feasibility study on a Malaysian-made car.
The national car idea is presented as part of a broader industrialisation strategy rather than simply a vehicle-import substitution programme.
WHY THIS HISTORY MATTERSPROTON's story tracks four decades of Malaysia's ambition to move from assembling imported technology toward owning more automotive capability.
Continue to full chronology ↓The Saga, exports, ownership changes, Geely partnership and e.MAS programme show how the definition of a 'national car' has evolved as automotive technology and global supply chains changed.
FULL TIMELINE · SCROLL / CLICK / DRAG TO EXPLORE
Each step is dated and sourced. Statements, allegations, decisions and confirmed actions stay labelled separately so the timeline does not turn one side's claim into an established fact.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Follow the sequence, not just the headline.
02
November 1982DECISION
Cabinet approves the National Car Project.
The approval moves the concept from industrial policy into an executable company and manufacturing programme.
03
7 May 1983ACTION
Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional is incorporated.
Later that month HICOM, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation sign the joint-venture agreement underpinning the early project.
04
9 July 1985STATUS
The Proton Saga is launched as Malaysia's first national car.
The Saga becomes the defining symbol of the national-car policy and the starting point for a domestic automotive manufacturing ecosystem.
05
December 1986ACTION
Bangladesh becomes the Saga's first export destination.
Exports begin less than two years after the first car launch, followed by a push into the UK and other markets.
06
18 October 1988STATUS
The Saga makes a public debut at the British International Motor Show.
The UK becomes one of Proton's most visible overseas markets during the brand's early international phase.
07
July 1991ACTION
Engine-parts machining and transmission assembly deepen local manufacturing capability.
The national-car programme expands beyond final vehicle assembly toward more of the industrial supply chain.
08
2012MONEY
DRB-Hicom takes control of PROTON.
The ownership change places the national carmaker inside the wider DRB-Hicom automotive and industrial group.
09
23 June 2017DECISION
DRB-Hicom enters a strategic partnership with Zhejiang Geely Holding.
The partnership begins a major product, technology and management reset designed to make PROTON more competitive domestically and internationally.
10
12 December 2018STATUS
The Proton X70 launches.
The SUV becomes the first major product associated with the Geely partnership and a visible marker of the company's new technology direction.
11
16 December 2024STATUS
PROTON launches the e.MAS 7, Malaysia's first national electric vehicle.
The EV opens a new chapter in the national-car project as automotive industrial policy shifts toward electrification and software-heavy vehicle platforms.
12
4 September 2025ACTION
Malaysia's first dedicated EV assembly plant opens at PROTON Tanjong Malim.
The RM82 million facility is designed for e.MAS models and creates dedicated local capacity for electric-vehicle assembly.
13
30 October 2025STATUS
The e.MAS 5 launches as a lower-priced national EV.
The second e.MAS model broadens Proton's EV strategy toward more affordable mass-market electrification.
14
9 July 2026ACTION
The e.MAS 5 launches in Singapore as PROTON pushes regional EV exports.
The move extends the new electric lineup beyond Malaysia and continues the company's effort to rebuild export relevance.
WHAT WAS THE NATIONAL CAR PROJECT TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
PROTON was designed as an industrial-policy project, not merely a Malaysian badge on a car.
The original goal included domestic industrial capability.
PROTON's own history frames the company as a vehicle for economic development and for building the local automotive manufacturing ecosystem.
The Geely partnership changed the development model.
From 2017 onward, platform, engineering and product collaboration became central to PROTON's attempt to improve quality, technology and scale.
EVs have created a second national-car industrial challenge.
The e.MAS programme and dedicated Tanjong Malim EV plant are intended to build local capability around the industry's transition from combustion engines to electrification.
WHY THIS HISTORY MATTERS
PROTON's story tracks four decades of Malaysia's ambition to move from assembling imported technology toward owning more automotive capability.
The Saga, exports, ownership changes, Geely partnership and e.MAS programme show how the definition of a 'national car' has evolved as automotive technology and global supply chains changed.
Questions the chronology cannot answer yet.
01How much engineering and intellectual-property ownership should Malaysia require for a vehicle to be considered genuinely national?
02Can PROTON build sustainable export scale in the EV era?
03Will the Tanjong Malim EV ecosystem generate a new wave of Malaysian automotive suppliers and technology capability?
The events that would move this story forward.
01Export growth for e.MAS models.
02Local EV supply-chain investment around Automotive High Tech Valley.
03Future PROTON-Geely platform, software and powertrain development.
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