Malaysia

Announced on June 9, 2025, Malaysia’s Proton officially launched the e.MAS 7 in Trinidad and Tobago, the second international market for its first EV model after Nepal.

The launch event in Port of Spain was hosted by local distributor ANSA Motors, which also opened a new EV showroom at The City of Grand Bazaar to support the growing EV market.

The e.MAS 7, available in Premium specification, offers a 5-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating, 160 kW/320 Nm output, 0–100 km/h acceleration in 7.1 seconds, and a 410 km WLTP range from its 60.22 kWh battery with advanced Aegis Short Blade battery cells.

This move strengthens Proton’s Caribbean presence, with 481 vehicles already exported to the market, including the X50, X90, and Saga. Proton plans to expand e.MAS 7 availabilities to Mauritius and Singapore later in 2025.

(From Proton press release dated June 9, 2025)

Reported on June 9, 2025, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) has activated its official social media channels under the name Hyundai Motor Malaysia (HMY) on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok. This marks the beginning of a new phase, ahead of an expected formal announcement detailing the company’s operational and strategic plans.

This development, which may indicate that the principal is taking over as the official distributor, aligns HMY with other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Honda Malaysia and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, both of which are directly managed by their respective global headquarters.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Sime Darby Motors, the long-standing distributor, is expected to transition into a ‘super dealer’ role, similar to Auto Bavaria for BMW and Cycle & Carriage for Mercedes-Benz.

In 2024, HMC reportedly planned a strategic 6-year investment (2025–2030) to expand production capacity in partnership with local manufacturer Inokom. The plan was said to include establishing an EV battery assembly plant in Kulim and locally assembling 6 CKD models.

(From Hyundai Motor Malaysia social media updates and an article of Paul Tan on June 9, 2025)

Reported on June 11, 2025, data from the Malaysian Road Transport Department (JPJ) revealed the top 20 electric vehicle (EV) brands registered in Malaysia between January and May 2025.

BYD remained at the top with 4,355 units registered, followed by Proton with 3,399 units of the eMas 7 (excluding 233 units exported). Tesla came in third with 1,810 units, ahead of BMW (766 units), Denza (524 units), XPeng (505 units), Zeekr (465 units), Porsche (276 units), MINI (227 units), and MG (224 units).

Chery was ranked 11th with 213 units, followed by Volvo (192 units), GWM (173 units), Mercedes-Benz (172 units), smart (117 units), and Hyundai (102 units). Leapmotor recorded 82 units, Dongfeng 61 units, Neta 60 units, and Audi rounded out the top 20 with 30 units.

Notably, in May 2025 alone, Tesla surged from 108 units in April to an impressive 1,075 units, its first four-digit monthly sales figure in 2025, overtaking Proton’s 862 units for the month (Proton reported 916 units including exports) to claim second place.

(From an article of Paul Tan on June 11, 2025)