Proton has revealed its hotly anticipated and first electric vehicle (EV) called the eMas 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7) that will be sold under its eMas brand, which was announced in June this year and managed by Proton New Energy Technology (Pro-Net) – the division also handles smart here.
As we guessed previously, the eMas 7 has ties with the Geely Galaxy E5 that made its debut in China in May this year – pre-sales began shortly after. Built on the Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture (GEA), the E5 was designed from the start with left- and right-hand drive markets in mind to be a global model.
At today’s event, Proton claims the eMas 7 is not a simple rebadge of the E5 and that the model was actually co-developed between both car companies. It added that 230 Proton engineers and designers were involved in the development of the vehicle from the beginning, with a total of 700,000 manhours 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.
Based on Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture (GEA) with cell-to-body tech
The GEA platform is a development of Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and is said to be the “world’s first four-in-one AI intelligent architecture” that combines “hardware, systems, ecology and artificial intelligence.” While EVs are well within the GEA’s use case, the platform can also accept an internal combustion engine for range-extender, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and even methanol applications.
For the fully electric E5, and eMas 7 by extension, the GEA platform enables the battery to be completely integrated into the car’s body shell (cell-to-body, or CTB), acting as a structural member. This allows the car to possess a torsional rigidity of up to 31,000 Nm per degree.
Proton doesn’t mention GEA in its release but instead states the eMas 7 is the first model to feature the Global Modular Architecture (GMA) platform, which is essentially the same thing but branded differently. The GMA was mentioned during the eMas brand launch two months ago, with models ranging from the GMA 01 to GMA 06 planned as either EVs or PHEVs – the eMas 7 is the GMA 01.
Front-wheel drive only, EV range up to 530 km CLTC; WLTP approximately 420 km
Proton isn’t providing full local specifications of the eMas 7 for now, so we’ll have to refer to the E5 it is based on which is currently on sale in China for some indication. Firstly, all variants of the five-door electric SUV are powered by a front-mounted electric motor rated at 218 PS (215 hp or 160 kW) and 320 Nm of torque. This is good for a 0-100 km/h time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h.
The electric motor draws power from a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack that uses Geely-developed Aegis “short blade” cells. According to Geely, the new battery can reach 3,500 cycles, equivalent to charging and driving for one million km with minimal impact to battery range, so there’s some assurance for long-term owners.
When it was announced in June this year, Geely even claimed the new Aegis ‘short blade’ battery survived extreme testing for impressive safety performance. Tests include eight simultaneous puncture needles (seven more than the standard), each with a diameter of five mm and left in that state for one hour with no incident. Additionally, a 5.8mm (5.8×42mm) infantry rifle bullet penetration test was conducted with no thermal ignition events.
The Aegis battery comes in two capacities, starting with a 49.52-kWh option that provides up to 440 km, followed by a 60.22-unit for up to 530 km. Keep in mind these figures are based on the highly generous CLTC standard, so we can expect to trim 20% in the real world for a more “realistic” range of 350 and 420 km respectively. With DC fast charging, the E5/eMas 7 takes 20 minutes to get the battery from a 30-80% state of charge.
What design changes were made? Equipment?
Proton is keeping the eMas 7 camouflaged for now, but the E5’s cues are immediately obvious and inspired by the E8 sedan. Notable cues include slim headlamps while the concaved sections on the sides of the closed-off grille feature air curtains and are highlighted by a C-shaped light strip. Other things of interest are flush pop-out door handles and full-width taillights.
The eMas 7 is visually differentiated from the E5 by the new eMas logo on its nose, which isn’t illuminated and appears as a tweaked version of the harimau, but without a completed closed circle. Elsewhere, the Proton script sits beneath the taillights and the ‘e.MAS 7’ badge has its ‘e’ in blue.
The interior was off limits to us, but it won’t be surprising if the eMas 7’s cabin is identical to the E5. In its home market, the E5 is available with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, head-up display, 50W wireless charging pad, 256-colour ambient lighting, powered front seats as well as a host of advanced driver assistance systems, including autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.
Malaysia will get a specific Proton eMas app with vehicle telematics, similar to the Hello smart app managed by Pro-Net, so we can expect a deep integration of charging network access in a single app while also being accessible via the infotainment system. Said infotainment system is dubbed Flyme Auto and is depicted on a 15.4-inch touchscreen with 2.5K resolution and powered by a chip built on a seven nanometer architecture.
Where does the eMas 7 sit in the Malaysian EV market?
The Malaysian EV market is a busy one these days with many newcomers, so where does the eMas 7 sit in it? In terms of size, the eMas 7 measures 4,615 mm long, 1,901 mm wide, 1,670 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,750 mm.
For some context, the current Honda CR-V is longer at 4,691 mm but its width is less at 1,866 mm. It’s apt that the company is using ‘7’ because just like the X70 and S70 that competes in the C-segment space (the latter is debatable), the eMas 7 is aimed at electric C-segment SUV buyers. On the mention of the X70, it is smaller than the eMas 7 at 4,519 mm long and 1,831 mm wide.
Bringing some actual EVs into the comparison, the eMas 7 occupies a larger footprint than the BYD Atto 3, smart #1, GAC Aion Y, BMW iX1, Chery Omoda E5. One car that comes close to the Proton EV is the Neta X, while the Tesla Model Y is larger overall.
Of course, sizing can be bumped down the importance list among buyers if the pricing is attractive, but we’re not getting that for now. In China where the E5 is sold, the EV retails for between 123,000 and 157,000 yuan (about RM77k and RM99k).
However, the eMas 7 will arrive as a fully-imported (CBU) EV, which means it cannot be priced under the RM100,000 minimum price cap that the government has set for CBU EVs until the end of next year. Locally assembling (CKD) the eMas 7 in Malaysia should allow it to be priced under said price cap, but it’s not revealed when or if this will happen.
Most of the size-compared models mentioned, with the exception of the BMW and Tesla, are priced within the RM100,000 to RM170,000 range. With a larger body and if priced to compete, the eMas 7 will appeal to those looking to make the switch or add another EV to their fleet.
When can I buy one?
Not anytime soon, to be honest. As we were informed during the brand launch in June, Proton’s first EV will only go on sale in December this year. Today’s event is merely to confirm the EV’s name and so we can see it in person, and as we’ve stated above, there’s no confirmation on official powertrain specifications, pricing or even the final design sans camo. However, when it does go on sale, the eMas 7 will be available for order at 29 dealerships nationwide initially – eMas and Proton will share space in outlets.
So, there you have it. Proton has met the government’s target of introducing at least one EV by 2025 with the eMas 7. Are you impressed? Will you be rushing to place an order when it becomes available? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
GALLERY: Proton eMas 7
GALLERY: Proton eMas 7 presentation slides
GALLERY: Geely Galaxy E5
