Distributor of smart vehicles Pro-Net has revealed its dealer network expansion plan for 2024, and it’s now confirmed that the brand’s first outlet in East Malaysia – reported last week – will be in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Aside from the KK outlet, which will be operated by Fook Loi Eurocar, there will also be new dealerships in Petaling Jaya (Naza Automotive Group) and Kuantan (Hoi Keen Service) in Peninsular Malaysia.
“With the strong momentum and growing interest in Malaysia, smart Malaysia is set to expand its product portfolio. Our goal is to sprint to the next level, continuing to broaden market coverage with our intelligent products and services. This builds even greater trust among customers, solidifying our position as a premium segment leader,” said Pro-Net CEO Zhang Qiang.
The dealer names mentioned above are companies with a track record – Fook Loi Eurocar owns the largest dealership chain in Sabah, Naza is among the biggest local auto companies, while Hoi Keen Service won the Proton CEO & Diamond Award 2023, the highest recognition for Proton dealerships.
Naza in PJ caught your attention? smart Petaling Jaya will be at Naza’s ‘base’ along the Federal Highway. The official operation of these new smart outlets will take place in Q3 and Q4 2024.
Currently, smart has 10 dealerships across Malaysia, where you can test drive the smart #1 EV. The ‘community-centric hubs’ are in Ipoh (GB Auto), Balakong (Hap Seng Smart), KL (Hap Seng Smart), Penang (Eleganz Lifetsyle), Alor Setar (Lee Motors), Glenmarie (EON), Setia Alam (Wheelcorp EV), Melaka (Sigma Energy EV), Johor Bahru (Motor Future) and Damansara (smart Mobility).
Interestingly, the range-topping Brabus version of the smart #1 is the most popular variant in Malaysia so far. The RM249,000 #1 Brabus has a dual-motor AWD setup with 428 PS (315 kW) and 543 Nm of torque, good for 3.9 seconds in the 0-100 km/h sprint. The RM189,000 Pro and RM219,000 Premium have a rear motor with 272 PS (200 kW) and 343 Nm, with 0-100 km/h taking 6.7 seconds.
The #1’s battery is a 66 kWh lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) unit providing 440 km of WLTP-rated range (Brabus 400 km). The maximum charge rate is 150 kW DC, which gets the battery from 10-80% SoC in 30 minutes. But it’s in daily AC charging that the #1 stands out – with 22 kW AC (most EVs max out at 11 kW and 7 kW is common), going from 10-80% SoC takes just three hours – that’s a long lunch break.
Check out our review of the smart #1 here.
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