Earlier this morning, Proton and smart Automobile Company signed a general distributorship agreement (GDA), which will see the former sell smart EVs in Malaysia and Thailand. In an official release, the national carmaker said the first smart vehicle – the #1 – will be launched here early in the fourth quarter of 2023.
As for Thailand, Proton deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah said in a press conference following the signing ceremony that the plan for smart to enter the Thailand market will happen sometime in the second half of 2024.
“We mentioned that Malaysia [will get the #1] in early Q4 [2023]. So, for Thailand, we’re looking somewhere in 2024, perhaps in the second half of 2024 we will enter Thailand. So, I hope the people in Thailand can wait for smart until we arrive there by mid-2024,” said Roslan.
His answer would mean that Malaysia is set to become the first country in the ASEAN region to get the #1 in right-hand drive form (it’s left-hand drive in China). The EV will also go on sale in the United Kingdom – another RHD market – this December, with deliveries set to begin in mid-2023.
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Q4 2023? Either the current EV policy is full of uncertainties or Proton itself is of no confidence. U should have sold it like now already! U want to wait till the infrastructure is complete then u wait for your success at latter too.
What are you blabbering about? Infra end at TH is not their control so understandable they will wait until availability gets better and mind you EV#1 will only go on sale in mid2023 at UK, where the infra is far better than TH.