With the launch of its new eMas electric vehicle brand, national automaker Proton now has two EV-related entities in its portfolio, the other being smart, which it is the official product distributor for in the country.
While the first product under the eMas (stylised as e.MAS) umbrella hasn’t appeared yet, only set to do so at the end of the year, we asked the company if the brand’s eventual market debut will see it competing directly against the other nameplate it represents.
The company said that it won’t be the case, because each will have its own unique identity, with a distinct segmentation between the two brands, not least in terms of pricing. “Branding wise, they are totally in two (different) segments,” said Pro-Net chief branding officer Salawati Mohd Yusoff, who added that they would complement each other.
While the Malaysian carmaker’s first production battery-electric vehicle won’t be a budget EV, given that it will be based on the Geely Galaxy E5, future models in the eMas line up should well be. To be underpinned by its Global Modular Architecture platform, models following the Galaxy E5-based eMas will offer smaller – and thus more affordable – options to be presented.
As it progresses, eMas products will clearly sit within the mass-market segment with a variety of budget to mid-band offerings, while smart will play slightly higher up the field, continuing to present niche, lifestyle-oriented options as it does at present. Aside from pricing, showroom identities will also be different to further demarcate both entities and their approaches.
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