Malaysia will soon have a National Automotive Test Centre (NATC), if things go to plan. At last week’s 2025 Global Automotive and Technology Expo closing ceremony, Proton and the Malaysia Automotive Robotics & IoT Institute (MARii) exchanged documents for a strategic collaboration on the NATC.
The agreement outlines a five-year collaboration between the two parties covering areas such as the development of the NATC, and for 200 Proton R&D engineers and technical personnel “to be given hands-on R&D exposure via a structured programme”.
Proton is pledging its facilities to be included in the NATC, and this ‘shared facility collaboration’ includes the carmaker’s Semi High-Speed Test Track in Shah Alam and an R&D test lab in Tanjong Malim. At the same time, MARii and Proton will collaborate to build a brand new NATC facility with both parties contributing towards the construction costs.
As its name suggests, the NATC is an industry-wide facility and can be used by other carmakers, industry players, research institutes and academia, the two parties say.
This effectively means that Perodua can test its future cars at Proton’s Shah Alam track, if it wants to do so. Chery or BYD, for instance, can do RHD testing there too, if they wish. Whether the other OEMs will do so is another matter. Operational tasks for the facility will be led by MARii and supported by various stakeholders including Proton. This reminds me of the National Emission Test Centre (NETC) that was funded by Perodua, opened in 2018.
“MARii is committed to supporting the national industrial agenda outlined in the National Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and the National Automotive Policy 2020 (NAP 2020). This collaboration with Proton strengthens Malaysia’s capabilities in next-generation mobility through shared testing facilities, structured R&D development, and expanded engineering capacity for new energy vehicles,” said MARii CEO Azrul Reza Aziz.
“Proton’s agreement with MARii enhances the company’s commitment to the automotive industry in Malaysia while fulfilling our responsibility in realising the goals of the NIMP There is a lot of potential for the NATC to contribute towards developing new technology and new models, and we hope it leads to the realisation of the country’s ambitions to be a regional automotive force,” said Proton CEO Li Chunrong.
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dont have too high hopes because previous marii ceo was arrested for corruption so…
The current CEO is my friend. Knowing him and his family closely since childhood and still in contact until now. A no-nonsense guy. He publicly stated that MARii under him would emphasize integrity, good governance, and transparency. If he wants to go for monies he can already did that when he head and managed big investment fund last time. Please do Check around, no scandals around him.
your friend is ceo Nizmar Mohd Nazar. or ceo Datuk Mohamad Madani Sahari, or Azrul Reza Aziz ? because for some reason marii kept on changing ceo, but only one of them was arrested for corruption (so far)
I have written there current CEO, azrul reza aziz
i wont be surprised if the news headline in year 2028 reads – “The former CEO of the Malaysian Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), azrul reza aziz, was sentenced to one year in prison and fined RM100,000 in July 2028 after pleading guilty to charges of fraud and receiving illegal cash.”
The former CEO of the Malaysian Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), Datuk Mohamad Madani Sahari, was sentenced to one year in prison and fined RM100,000 in July 2024 after pleading guilty to charges of fraud and receiving illegal cash.
IoT…that was so yesterday’s hype