A newly signed MOA will see Proton Edar as smart's official distributor here in Malaysia

Proton has officially inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with premium EV brand, smart Automobile Company (smart). Their collaboration will see a new range of New Energy Vehicles (NEV) to be introduced in the ASEAN automotive market.

In other words, Proton Edar will be appointed as importer, distributor, and dealer for smart in Malaysia and Thailand. So, it's not actually an EV model by Proton just yet, but they'll probably get the much-needed experience when it comes to dealing with EVs and hybrids, particularly after-sales.

According to Dato’ Sri Syed Faisal Albar, Chairman of Proton, "With the signing of the MOA, Proton is taking its first steps on its New Energy Vehicle strategic journey. By collaborating with smart, we will be able to gain experience in the selling, servicing, and charging of NEVs and build up the skill sets we require to be a force in ASEAN’s rapidly expanding NEV sector. This is also an opportunity to tap on smart’s customer base, which will open up more opportunities for the Proton brand."

It is said that the NEV market in Southeast Asia will grow to around 10 million units by 2025. Smart is close to launching its new all-electric range as we head closer to the said year and with the help from Proton, Malaysians will have more choices when it comes to EVs and hybrids. We might just see one launched this year to take advantage of that EV incentives, eh?