The Proton CKD journey in Egypt begins with 120 units of left hand drive Proton Saga CKD packs.
Proton has been building momentum since its partnership with Geely. We’ve seen how the national carmaker has gone from loss making to one of the few Geely entities that is profit making while giants like Lotus and Polestar post losses. Increasing exports has been Proton’s long standing goal and today they make huge ground with the announcement of the start of CKD operations in Egypt.
That’s right – Proton CKD packs will be exported from the Tanjung Malim plant to its longtime partner Ezz Elarab in Egypt to be assembled for sale there. And this isn’t a first for the company either. So far 4 other CKD and SKD operations are in place for Proton outside of our borders.
At a ceremony this morning, Proton flagged off 120 units of left hand drive Proton Saga CKD packs together with the Ambassador of Egypt to Malaysia and representatives from the Malaysian government and Proton itself. So, why Egypt?
Ezz Elarab has been Proton’s Egyptian partner since 2004 and together they have sold nearly 17,000 CBU Proton vehicles in the country with another 1,400 projected to be sold there this year. However, the Egyptian government is limiting CBU imports into the country while also encouraging local assembly activities. Ezz Elarab Elsewedy Automotive Factories (ESAF) aims to be part of that push towards developing Egyptian industry. They can start locally assembling the Proton Saga by December 2024 and possibly grow the sales volume of the Saga in Egypt to 5,000 units in 2025 with this move.
Further down the line, Proton and Ezz Elarab plan to work together to make Egypt the hub for Proton vehicle exports in the North African region. Projected income from pure sales of CKD packs is forecasted to amount to RM570 million with another RM20 million projected as revenue from parts export.
It’s also noteworthy that the Proton Saga is one of the few homegrown models on the company’s roster, so we give patriots full permission to feel some pride about this small but significant step for the Malaysian automotive industry.
