Malaysia achieved a significant milestone recently after the national automotive manufacturer, Proton, launched the Proton e.MAS 7, our country’s first national electric vehicle (EV).
While many Malaysians were impressed by the C-segment SUV EV thanks to its up to 410km driving range that can go 0 to 100km/h in just 6.9 seconds, one particular design feature of the e.MAS 7 received backlash online, as the windshield featured a logo of China’s Hangzhou City.
Proton e.MAS 7 called out for having a Hangzhou City logo on its windshield
For context, Chinese automotive manufacturer Geely owns a 49.9% stake in Proton, and the e.MAS 7 is essentially a rebadged version of the Geely Galaxy E5 EV.
After its launch, several local media outlets shared an initial hands-on look at the EV and noted that the e.MAS 7 is a completely built unit (CBU) directly imported from China. Moreover, one local publication shared how the windshield still has a logo of Hangzhou City, just like on the Geely Galaxy E5 EV.
Proton e.MAS 7
Accordingly, a Malaysian social media personality, Joe Najib, recently took to Facebook to express his disappointment at the Chinese city logo being featured on what is supposed to be Malaysia’s first national EV.
Proton e.MAS 7
In a viral post with over 2,900 reactions and 540 shares, Joe said that he’s proud of Proton and had owned two Proton cars in the past, but he’s disappointed that after years of collaboration with Geely, Proton still allows such a thing to happen to a ‘Malaysian car’.
Geely Galaxy E5
He asserted,
“After years of localising the Chinese models to wear our badge, you would think Proton would at least have some say in what parts to change and localise.
“Yet, on th e.Mas 7, you have this on the windscreen. As the reviewer said, you could have at least changed it to KLCC, KL Tower, etc. After all, you do want to be seen as a ‘Malaysian car’, right? But no, you just ‘let it be. Just a small matter’,”
The Hangzhou City logo on the Proton e.MAS 7 windshield
He added that while the size of the logo is small, the impact isn’t and said that he won’t be buying the e.MAS 7.
Malaysians share their two cents on the matter
In the comments section, Malaysians share their opinion on the matter, with some agreeing with Joe, while others understood Proton’s decision as using the Geely Galaxy E5 EV’s windshield would save on manufacturing costs.
One commenter joked that the logo isn’t of Hangzhou City but the Siamese temple in Petaling Jaya.
Meanwhile, one commenter claimed that Geely had underhandedly tricked Proton and their consumers into buying Geely cars.
Conversely, one commenter said that having separate windshields would mean added costs which the consumers won’t want to pay.
Besides that, one netizen said that consumers will support any car manufacturer if they provide value-for-money products.
So, what are your thoughts on the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
