Despite its forthcoming eMas 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7) appearing almost identical to its Geely Galaxy E5 twin save for the badging (at least from the outside), Proton insists that its first electric vehicle is not a simple rebadge of that car but was instead developed concurrently. The national carmaker maintained this assertion in its press release announcing that the SUV is joining the National Day parade.
The company’s CEO Li Chunrong said that developing the car at the same time as the Geely version – a Proton first – simplified the right-hand drive conversion, with manifold benefits in terms of efficiency and cost reduction. “The eMas 7 is not only Proton’s first EV, but it is also the first Proton model developed concurrently with the team at Geely. This allows for much shorter lead times in making RHD versions available and also results in greater efficiencies and sharing of development costs.
“The ultimate proof of success for this undertaking will be the reception of buyers in Malaysia and our export markets and to ensure a favourable outcome, Proton is leaving no stone unturned in the model’s development, marketing, sales, and after-sales efforts,” he said.
During the media preview of the car earlier this month, Proton claimed it sent 230 engineers and designers to China to be involved in the development of the Galaxy E5 and eMas 7 right from their inception. The cars have racked up a total of 700,000 man hours and 10 million km of vehicle testing, in addition to 30,000 km of durability adaptive testing and up to 100,000 km reliability testing.
The eMas E7 is currently undergoing (very public) durability, charging, driving and software testing programmes ahead of its launch at the end of the year. Based on the Global Modular Architecture (GMA), the car is set to feature a 12-in-1 motor with a claimed 90.04% efficiency and a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery utilising Aegis “short blade” battery cells. It will also utilise a Flyme Auto infotainment system powered by a 7 nm chip.
No specs have been released just yet, but the Galaxy E5 in China is offered with a single front motor producing 218 PS (160 kW) and 320 Nm of torque, getting it from zero to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. Two battaery capacities are available in the Middle Kingdom – the 49.52 kWh version has a CLTC range of 440 km, while the 60.22 kWh unit is claimed to be able to travel up to 530 km. Expect the eMas 7 to share the same mechanicals.
GALLERY: Proton eMas 7 previewed in Malaysia
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