With the government aggressively supporting a favourable EV environment and the strong corporate commitment demonstrated by two globally famous automakers, Geely and Tesla, Malaysia is on the right track to become an Electric Vehicle (EV) powerhouse in Southeast Asia.
According to a report by Bernama which has been picked up by several news portals, the introduction of Tesla Inc. with its headquarters in the US and China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co, commonly referred to as Geely, into the Malaysian market is a glaring example of Malaysia’s importance in the region’s automotive sector.
Pro-Net, a subsidiary of Proton, has just introduced the smart #1 into the electric vehicle (EV) market in Malaysia. The all-electric compact SUV, which is a touch bigger than the smart ForFour, is the result of a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Geely.
The smart #1 actually made its global debut in April 2022 where during the second half of 2022, China, Europe, and the UK were some of the first places to receive it.
Prior to its launch here in Malaysia, we had the opportunity to actually test it out. The right-hand drive Premium, left-hand drive Premium (China spec) and the Brabus variant.
The design of the smart #1, which is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely. It was designed by the Germans and is built on Geely’s modular Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA), which also serves as the foundation for vehicles like the Lotus Eletre, Volvo EX30, and Zeekr 001.
The smart #1 will only be available as a rear-wheel-drive model, with a single motor generating 272PS and 343Nm of torque. It does 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds and has a driving range of 440km WLTP cycle. There are three available drive modes: eco, comfort and sport. However, these are the Premium variant specs.
The Brabus variant, on the other hand, puts out 428PS and 584Nm of torque. It does 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds! It has dual motors providing a four-wheel drive configuration. However, due to it having this much power, the driving range is reduced to 400km. There are four available drive modes: eco, comfort, sport and Brabus. Both variants are limited to a top speed of 180km/h.
Another feature included in the Brabus trim is the engine imitation sound that plays through the speakers. A Brabus engine sound and a V8 engine sound.
In addition, the Brabus variant has three additional trims to choose from: Pure+, Pro+ and Premium+.
It features a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 66kWh. The 10%-80% charge time is three hours with 22kW AC charging and less than 30 minutes with 150kW DC charging.
The exterior of the smart #1 Premium variant features an active grille shutter, flat-faced 19-inch wheels, and frameless doors and has a drag coefficient of just 0.29.
The Brabus trim, however, gets twin nostrils as a styling element, a sportier front bumper, an aggressive grille, a rear spoiler, 19-inch dynamo-styled alloy wheels and a two-tone paint scheme with red accents.
The central infotainment screen, which is 12.8 inches in size regardless of which variant you choose, controls almost everything. It features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8155 chipset, a CPU and chipset designed for the gaming industry, and its home screen is filled with graphics and information.
Unlike the variants available in China, we get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Many important features of the system are hidden in submenus; for example, turning off the system’s excessively loud fake engine noise will lead you deep into the system, while adjusting your mirrors requires tapping the screen and then repeatedly pressing the buttons on the steering wheel.
It also has a 9.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a ten-inch heads-up display, a panoramic glass roof and 13-speaker Beats sound system.
The majority of the materials are soft to the touch, especially the Alcantara swaths in the Brabus model. Also, note that Smart chose a combination of real and synthetic leather and not vegan alternatives here.
The Brabus gets a little extra on the interior as well with a black-themed interior, Alcantara/leather-wrapped steering wheel, microfiber suede seats, headrests with the Brabus logo in red stitching and alloy pedals. The booth space measures in at 323L but can be expanded to 986L while the frunk has a 15L available space.
Another neat little feature is that the front grille lights up and will follow the beat of the music that is playing in the car at the time.
The smart #1 has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The safety features include:
Seven airbags
Full complement of driver assistance features
Autonomous emergency braking
Adaptive Cruise Control with stop and go
Lane centring assist
Lane change assist
Lane keep assist
Blind spot monitoring
Keshy’s Driving Notes: On top of the preview session that Timothy just touched on, we also got to drive the smart #1 around the Proton test track at the Centre of Excellence in Shah Alam.
Simply put, the #1 drives like any other EV, it is silent, power delivery is instantaneous and there’s pretty much nothing that truly makes it stand out from the rest.
Except for the fact that the #1 has a steering feel that I really like.
EV’s tend to feel dull and disconnect the driver from what happens at ground level with the tyres. But in the #1, there’s a good feel for what the tyres were doing, and the steering wheel feels chatty. And this gave me the confidence I needed to barge into the oval track (which goes up to a 20 degree banking, NASCAR like) at about 110-120km/h.
I have to say that this is one of the my favourite EV’s at the moment, but not only from a driving perspective.
But before I tell you about what else I like about the #1, I have to say that the Brabus model feels like a proper rocket. But that artificial sound it makes is a little too fake, and too loud. So loud, that it reaches a point where it started to hurt my ear drums. And I wasn’t the only one complaining about it. Good thing that it can be turned off.
So onto what I like about it. I like it’s size.
I believe EV’s should be small because EV’s are meant to be practical urban commuters. And the #1 is exactly that. It is perfectly sized. Slightly bigger than a MINI, perhaps about the size of a Countryman. Inside, there’s a lot of hints of Mercedes-Benz, such as the buttons, but we are not allowed to tell you much about the interior due to an ongoing embargo.
So if you are considering an EV, I would tell you to wait until smart Malaysia introduces the pricing because the #1 could just be the EV for you. It is for me at least.
20 years ago, Proton established a second factory in the Tg. Malim area of Perak with a plan to develop a ‘Proton City’. This was to be an automotive zone with suppliers nearby to provide parts and systems directly to the factory. Parts of that original plan were realised but not to the grand plan envisaged as a production hub.
But the idea has not been forgotten and a year ago, DRB-HICOM announced its intention to develop an Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) in the Tg. Malim area with the aim of becoming an industry hub for the ASEAN region.
Besides supporting Proton, the AHTV is expected to attract businesses which are involved in new technologies and systems relevant to the global automotive industry. These would include electrification, Artificial Intelligence, autonomous technologies and advanced connectivity.
The smart brand was once in Malaysia, around 20 years ago, when DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (now Mercedes-Benz Malaysia) marketed it, but it was poorly received. Though its small size – which could only take two – was appreciated in European cities, it was too small for Malaysians who could get more seats and more space – for less money.
So smart faded away from the market and a decade later, declining sales in other markets also saw Mercedes-Benz, which owned the company, rethink its strategy for the brand. With the auto industry rushing towards electrification, it was logical for smart to also go in that direction. In fact, it had already started electrification earlier but needed a new generation of models developed from scratch as electric vehicles (EVs).
This led the German carmaker to team up with the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in a new joint venture company which would use the smart brand, which still retained its trendiness. It looked like a smart (no pun intended) move as Mercedes-Benz would offer the design expertise while Geely would provide its Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) modular platform engineered specifically for EVs. Thus smart gained a ‘second wind’ and has been quick to roll out its first product, the smart #1.
The smart brand is among the younger automotive brands in the world, with its original concept of a compact city car having been conceived in the early 1990s. And it wasn’t just a basic car with compact dimensions; the brainchild of Nicolas Hayek, the man who created the Swatch watch, it was to be cheap, trendy and practical for almost anyone – like the watches.
Hayek believed there was a market for such a car, especially with the congestion in cities. But he also realised that he knew a lot about making watches… but little about making cars. So he knocked on the doors of Renault and VW, but they were not interested. Little did he know then that Mercedes-Benz had noticed his idea in 1993 and it matched their idea of a city car which they had been exploring for many years.
With the launch of the Proton X70 at the end of 2018, not only did Proton have a totally new model for its range but it was also the start of a turnaround and ascent for the carmaker which continues to this day.
Besides being the first model developed in collaboration with Geely, DRB-HICOM’s partner in Proton, the X70 was also first premium SUV model from Malaysian carmaker.
More than 10,000 bookings were received even before the X70 reached showrooms around the country.
The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group – more commonly referred to as Geely – is relatively young in the global auto industry, having been established in 1986. Yet over the past decade, it has acquired several well-known international automotive brands and formed alliances or partnerships with others. Its business today spans the automotive value chain, from research, development and design to production, sales and servicing.
The latest partnership announced today is with Renault SA where a 50-50 joint venture will be formed for producing petrol engines and developing hybrid technology that will be used by each company’s brands, and possibly supplied to others.
Proton has long had its own engine factory, with the first one having been opened in the Glenmarie industrial estate of Selangor in the 1990s. Over the years, this factory has provided millions of engines for various Proton models and continues to do so.
Now, with the new generation of engines in the carmaker’s latest models, it is time to have a new facility to assemble the 1.5-litre TGDI (Turbo Gasoline Direct Injection) JLH-3G15TD 3-cylinder engine used in the X50 and X70 models. This is the first time the engine is being assembled outside China at is one of the most advanced automotive engine assembly lines in the country at the Proton Tanjung Malim manufacturing complex in Perak.
Located within the Engine and Powertrain facility, the assembly line covers an area of 18,000 sq. metres and has a current maximum capacity of 180,000 engines when running on three shifts. The new facility is also part of the RM1.8 billion Proton is making to upgrade its facilities at Tanjung Malim, also known as Proton City.
Award-winning engine
The award-winning JLH-3G15TD engine is used not only by Proton but also by other brands in the diverse Geely Group. When the many other models are included, over 750,000 vehicles sold globally are now powered by this engine.
The engine, the result of a project which started about 10 years ago, follows industry trends of downsizing to gain better fuel efficiency and also reduce undesirable exhaust emissions. While downsizing the displacement on its own has meant lower power output, this is not the case with the JLH-3G15TD. In fact, in spite of its smaller displacement and one cylinder less, its output is actually comparable to much bigger engines with 130 kW and 255 Nm.
This has been possible with advanced technologies, 4 valves per cylinder, dual variable valve timing, optimised thermal and lubrication systems, a low inertia turbocharger, and homogenised 200-bar direct fuel injection system. It is also capable of meeting Euro 6 requirements.
Localisation of parts
As a Malaysian carmaker, Proton has always prioritised localisation and where possible, it has sourced parts from Malaysian suppliers, although in the era of globalisation, there are also some suppliers from other countries in the region. For this new engine, there are currently 72 parts supplied by 19 Malaysian and 4 ASEAN vendors.
The company is also using the new assembly line to advance its human capital development goals, with 202 workers directly employed to work there. With an average age of just 24 years, they represent the next generation of skilled automotive manpower for the nation.
“Proton’s new engine assembly line showcases the company keeping its promises to its stakeholders. When the agreement was made to partner with Geely in 2017, one of our commitments was to invest in Malaysia’s automotive industry both financially and through the introduction of new high technology components. The new assembly line does this while also giving PROTON an avenue to attract and develop young talents who will help drive the automotive industry and the company into the future,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy CEO of Proton.
A closer look at the facility
Featuring 88 stations consisting of 17 automatic, 15 semi-automatic and 56 manual stations, the high-tech assembly line was built using an IR 4.0 ethos applying a high level of automation to boost productivity. A climate-controlled clean environment with an anti-static station to allow for the discharge of static electricity protects the electronic components used, while the assembly line utilises a conveyor system. This is not only smoother but is also cleaner, more durable and less costly to operate than one that uses a chain.
All workers on the assembly line have undergone extensive training with Geely as well as the suppliers of the machines used. The equipment comes from well known suppliers such as ABB, COMAU, FEV China, FEV India, WiBeda and Hangxin.
The Internet of Things (IOT) technology is deployed in the form of intensive data capture and analytical tools to ensure that the quality meets the standards required and are maintained. Additionally, 207 Error Mistake Proofing (EMP) controls and 34 intelligent high-resolution cameras have been installed on the line to prevent process and assembly defects and reduce downtime with 100% real-time defect detection capabilities.
“Quality is the main priority at our new engine assembly line. We know we need to show Malaysians that Proton is capable of building reliable high-quality products, so we have left nothing to chance. Aside from the quality monitoring measures deployed on the assembly line, we also work closely with our counterparts at Geely to trouble shoot issues and share best practices in our efforts to produce a world-class engine,” added Encik Roslan Abdullah.
In the mid-1960s, when the Malaysian government started the auto industry with a call to manufacturers to assemble vehicles locally, the first ‘auto city’ began to form in the Klang Valley. Vehicle assembly plants were set up in the newly created Shah Alam industrial area of Selangor and related businesses also built factories nearby to supply them parts.
As the industry grew, other areas of the country also saw auto-related factories and businesses being developed. These were in the Tampoi area of Johor and also in Pekan, Pahang, where manufacturers like General Motors, Honda, Mitsubishi Motors, Fiat and Tata had their vehicles assembled.
Pekan in Pahang also has a small automotive manufacturing complex which was developed by DRB-HICOM since the 1980s. Carmakers such as Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors and Volkswagen assemble their vehicles there today.
When the National Car project started in the early 1980s, the Proton factory was situated in Shah Alam, mainly because many suppliers were also in the Klang Valley which also has the largest concentration of new vehicle sales. Perodua, however, chose an area in northern Selangor near Rawang for its manufacturing complex but with the North-South Highway, it had easy connections to the Shah Alam area for suppliers to deliver parts.
By the late 1990s, the auto industry was booming and Proton was seeing rapid growth in volumes that it needed a second factory. Tanjong Malim in Perak was chosen and though far from the Klang Valley, the distance was no longer an issue with the highway connection that also went to Port Klang. DRB-HICOM even made plans to create a ‘Proton City’ which would be an ‘auto city’ like Toyota City in Japan and Detroit in the USA.
The Proton factory in Tg Malim, Perak.
However, the late 1990s saw the Asian Financial Crisis seriously affecting the country’s economy and projects like Proton City could not proceed as planned. It had been planned that suppliers would set up factories in the area to support the Proton factory which was designed to produce up to 500,000 vehicles. However, response was poor and with the severe downturn, the idea of Proton City could not take off although Proton began operations at its factory to make a new generation of models.
20 years later, the Proton City idea is restarting although this time, the concept has been updated to take into account changes in the auto industry. Rather than being just a ‘Proton City’, DRB-HICOM will develop the Tanjong Malim area into an Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) with the aim of becoming an industry hub for the ASEAN region.
Besides supporting Proton, the AHTV is expected to attract businesses which are involved in new technologies and systems relevant to the global automotive industry. These would include electrification, Artificial Intelligence, autonomous technologies and advanced connectivity.
AHTV will be developed with an integrated ecosystem that will be a catalyst to revitalize domestic automotive sector in line with the direction of the National Automotive Policy 2020. Its aim is to bring Malaysia’s automotive industry to be on par, if not more advanced, than those in neighboring countries.
Perhaps it could help make Malaysia once again the best place in ASEAN to manufacture motor vehicles, which was the case in the 1970s. Back then, this country had the best infrastructure, a growing economy, well educated workforce and a level playing field which was attractive to investors.
An early supporter of the AHTV is the Geely Holding Group, which is also DRB-HICOM’s partner in Proton. The Chinese company has signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to jointly develop AHTV and collaborate to identify vendors and investors to the hub. The involvement of Geely, which has rapidly become a diverse global automotive group, will bring their technological strength in the automotive ecosystem as a boost for AHTV. This can be an impetus for auto and component manufacturers, especially from China, to invest in local production facilities, to create new business and export opportunities. Essentially, AHTV has the potential to become a gateway to ASEAN and other markets for companies that make it as their base. To date, there are already 17 vendors with facilities within the area.
DRB-HICOM has also signed another MoU with the Perak state government to jointly identify suitable additional land in the area for AHTV development. The current area surrounding the Proton factory measures 4,000 acres, with most already occupied by University Pendidikan Sultan Idris, factories of existing vendors, commercial premises and residential properties.
Part of the area originally developed as Proton City which will now be developed into the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley.
To boost the automotive talent pool in Malaysia, AHTV will establish a research university. This will create an educational framework to nurture a new generation of engineers for the automotive industry in areas of Engineering, IT, Design, Artificial Intelligence, Mobility Solutions & Software Development. This will strengthen local R&D capabilities and ensure competitiveness of local original equipment manufacturers.
The scale of the AHTV will see some 370,000 job opportunities being created in the area, with more than 160,000 opportunities during the first phase of development.
Though seemingly a good idea at the start in the 1990s, the original low-cost concept of Nicolas Hayek, creator of the Smart watches, never worked once Mercedes-Benz took over. The engineering costs bumped up the price and it became a niche product that had difficulty meeting ambitious sales targets.
After trying various approaches in the USA, a market it hoped would take to the little car, Mercedes-Benz ended sales there in 2019. It continued to sell the car in Europe and then Geely came into the picture to form a joint-venture and the brand gained a ‘second wind’.
Very quickly, a brand new product was developed with the involvement of Mercedes-Benz design teams who used the Geely’s SEA architecture dedicated to electric vehicles. By 2020, a concept car called the Concept #1 was revealed and this week, the production model has been presented to the world.
smart concept #1
This isn’t smart’s first EV as the brand went fully electric after 2019 but it is an entirely new product, simply called smart #1. While the crossover has blurred the lines between a hatchback and SUV, the smart #1 is presented as a SUV with an overall length of 4270 mm and a width of 1822 mm with a wheelbase that is 2750 mm. That makes it larger than the Proton Iriz and almost the same length as a Saga.
Although there have been smart concept cars that proposed a SUV design, the brand has never sold one so this would be its first SUV. It is, however, considered a city car as well because of its proportions although its weight of 1,820 kgs is certainly much more than city cars of the same size.
The weight largely comes from the NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) battery pack which also uses lithium-ion chemistries to store electricity up to a maximum capacity of 66 kWh. The charging system can accept fast-charging up to 150 kW and if that is used, charging time can be 30 minutes (from 10% to 80%), it is claimed. With a more common 22 kW supply, the time needed would be around 3 hours.
The battery pack powers a single rear-mounted electric motor with an output of 200 kW (272 ps) and maximum torque of 343 Nm, available almost from the moment the car moves off. The top speed is claimed to be 180 km/h, pretty fast for a car in this class.
The styling of the #1 is pretty much like that of the concept car with Matrix LEDs under the triangular shapes of each headlight. The headlights form a unique visual signature at the front which stretches right across, and the same feature is also present at the back.
To remove that tiny bit of drag-inducing turbulence that door handles cause, those on the #1 are flush when the car is on the move, extending only when needed to open the doors. It’s a feature usually found in higher-end cars, reflecting the premium positioning of the #1.
Thanks to a high footprint-to-space ratio with the long wheelbase, the interior is more spacious than would be expected with the compact exterior. The floating centre console provides better space efficiency with a reduction of elements creating a more open environment. To enhance this sense of spaciousness is a panoramic halo glass roof, one of the features on the concept car. The rear seats have a variable position over 13 cm and behind them is a variable boot space.
As with many of the latest cars, the displays are digi-graphic with a 9.2-inch panel in front of the driver (supplemented by a head-up display), and a 12.8-inch touchscreen on the dashboard. The ambient lighting can be customized with mix of 64 colours and 20 illumination levels, setting just the right mood for a drive.
The premium audio system has Beats high-end sound technology and consists of an amplifier module and 13 speakers (including a sub-woofer). The driver can enable digital key sharing through the smart app which also allows for remote engine starting.
There will be a ‘Launch Edition’ of the car with exclusive trim. Production will be at a joint-venture factory in China, starting in the second half of 2022. Exports are expected to start towards the end of the year so Proton Edar, which has been appointed distributor for Malaysia and Thailand, should be launching the car in early 2023. As it is a joint development between Geely and Mercedes-Benz, it is unlikely that it will become a Proton-badged model but by selling it, Proton would gain insights and experience into EVs which it will be producing and selling towards the end of this decade.
