Proton New Energy Technology (PRO-NET) is a new division tasked with sales of EVs and NEVs.
It’s no secret that Proton are taking on distribution rights of the smart brand in Malaysia. But it won’t be the old organisation handling things. Instead, a new company called Proton New Energy Technology Sdn. Bhd. (PRO-NET) has been formed to handle matters. PRO-NET is a fully-owned subsidiary of PROTON. It will have a separate management team and operations staff mostly from external hires.
PRO-NET will not only sell smart cars, but will be responsible for all future ‘new energy vehicle’ (NEVs) offerings. NEVs are an umbrella term for alternative or hybrid powered vehicles.
Leading PRO-NET will be CEO Zhang Qiang, who has been at PROTON for the last five years, being formerly from Dong Feng in China. Supporting him will be Salawati binti Mohd Yusoff as Chief Brand Officer, who has 25 years of experience in the automotive industry. Chief Information Officer will be Sua Chek Hoong, who has 20 years of experience in the communications and IT industry.
PRO-NET will report to a board of directors consisting of Dr. Li Chunrong (PROTON’s CEO), Roslan Abdullah (PROTON’s Deputy CEO), Wang Huaibing (PROTON’s CFO), and Amran Mohd Tomin (PROTON’s VP of Human Capital & Admin).
PRO-NET will offer the smart #1 in Q4 2023. Besides selling this EV, PRO-NET also wants to deploy charging solutions for their customers, including deploying home and public charging systems.
“Our studies show consumer hesitancy to adopt new energy vehicles is tied to their concern about charging availability. PRO-NET intends to address the issue with a two-pronged approach combining the installation and maintenance of home-based chargers with a comprehensive public network to be built with partners specializing in the development and running of charging stations. As a PROTON subsidiary, PRO-NET has a responsibility to ensure our products and services are accessible to all Malaysians regardless of where they reside so in addition to fixed chargers, we are also considering mobile solutions to expand our reach,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer, PROTON.
“The new energy vehicle industry is growing exponentially, and PRO-NET wants to be a major part of it both in Malaysia and abroad. As these new offerings will not be weighed down by previous model lines or even traditional service operations, it is an opportunity for PROTON to reframe its customer experience and reposition itself as a mobility provider that can attract new and traditional buyers. We are at the beginning of our new energy journey but with today’s official announcement regarding PRO-NET, our plans will gain momentum leading to more developments in the months and years ahead,” added Dr Li Chunrong.
