Proton eMas 3 EV rendered – sub-Geely Xingyuan, BYD Seagull A-seg EV rival looks too good to be true

Our good friend and rendering whiz Theophilus Chin is more known for his accurate (sometimes spookily so) digital predictions of upcoming cars than flights of fancy, but this ‘Proton eMas 3’ belongs to the latter category. Hear us out.

So, Proton’s first EV, the eMas 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7), is a C-segment SUV. Malaysia’s version of the Geely Galaxy E5 is a pretty large car; for context, it has a bigger footprint than the Proton X70 and the difference is truly felt inside. Kicking off big leaves plenty of room for the eMas range to grow downwards.

And down it will go. At the opening of the Proton eMas PJ showroom by Regal Motors yesterday, Proton CEO Li Chunrong confirmed that the company will launch its second EV model this year. He didn’t elaborate, but the EV in question is heavily rumoured to be the ‘eMas 5’, based on the Geely Xingyuan.

Last September, we reported that local Proton dealers were shown the Xingyuan during a group visit to China, fuelling rumours that the ‘smart-looking’ electric hatchback is being considered as an eMas model. It’s now looking more likely.

If the Xingyuan really makes it to Malaysia as the eMas 5, it’ll be a smaller, more affordable EV option for the mass market than the eMas 7, which starts at RM105,800. Such an EV will also rival Perodua’s EV previewed by the eMO-II concept we saw at KLIMS 2024. P2’s in-house electric car is set to debut in Q4 2025 and will be priced between RM50,000 and RM90,000.

Launched in October in China, the Geely Xingyuan has a CLTC range of up to 410 km (closer to 350 km on the more realistic WLTP cycle) from 30.12 and 40.16 kWh battery options. The eMas 7 is available with 49.52 and 60.22 kWh battery packs, with claimed range of 345 km and 410 km respectively on the WLTP cycle.

But Theo’s render of the day is not of the Xingyuan-based eMas 5, but an even smaller EV that would be truly entry level, if it were to happen. If it’s smaller than the Xingyuan and BYD Dolphin, we’re looking at an A-segment electric hatchback. Such a car exists, and it’s the BYD Seagull you see above. We’ve detailed this baby sea creature before, and you can recap here.

See the Seagull, and look at Theo’s eMas 3 again. The render – which used a Mk6 Volkswagen Polo as a base for the eMas 7 skin and detailing – looks classes above the Seagull. It’s just right proportionally, and it looks like a Volkswagen Golf and Mercedes-Benz A-Class sort of car. This proposal is simply too good looking to be true!

I’d be so happy to be wrong, because if something like this pops up under the Xingyuan-based eMas 5, they can take my RM50k-60k. Nice, traditional Euro-hatch proportions aside, this imagined eMas 3 also looks a bit more ‘solid’ and ‘square’, which is what the organic, cutesy Xingyuan isn’t. Like what you see? I really do.

AD: Drive the Proton model of your dreams. Submit your details and Proton PJ will get in touch with you.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.