Proton Digital Xperience officially opened its door today at the Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur. As opposed to a traditional Proton showroom that revolves around sales and services, the new establishment acts as an experiential centre that focuses more on the digital and lifestyle aspect of Proton vehicles.
Claimed to be the first automotive digital experience centre in the country, the stark differences between Proton DX and a typical Proton showroom mainly got to do with the people behind its creation: ACO Tech. In case you have never heard of them before, it is the very company that is responsible for the ATLAS infotainment system inside the Proton X50, X70, and X90.
Naturally, you are able to experience ATLAS at Proton DX through Infotainment Head Unit (IHU) mock-up units at the centre. However, that is just a tiny part of what the centre has to offer though.
One of the main attractions at the Proton DX is the Virtual Cockpit which was designed to allow visitors generally experience a lot of the digital features inside Proton vehicles, especially the X-series SUVs. Among them includes Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Auto Parking Assist, and even Atlas Pay.
Despite that, the vehicle that visitors are “testing” through the virtual ride through Penang, Melaka, and Kuala Lumpur is not an existing model though. Instead, it is an electric vehicle (EV) which seemed rather odd since Proton has yet to come out with an EV of its own.
Nevertheless, this provides a futuristic element to the ride while still remaining in line with the national carmaker’s vision to release an EV as early as 2025. Let’s also not forget that Proton has also set up a new division to focus on New Energy Vehicles called Pro-Net.
Next to the Virtual Cockpit is the Activity Zone which has been fitted with a huge screen for a motion-based racing game that features Iriz, X50 and X70. To move the vehicles, one has to run in place while occasionally they have to perform the pose shown on the screen to boost and navigate their cars.
The game is rather casual in nature, so it is fair to say that it is most likely designed for younger visitors or group visits. Both the Virtual Cockpit and Activity Zone are generally the most interactive areas inside Proton DX while the rest are primarily product showcase.
For example, the Lifestyle Zone is reserved for lifestyle-oriented products including those that come through cooperation with other brands. At the moment, this area is being occupied by activewear from Proton DX collaboration with the Spanish sports brand Joma and there is already a plan to bring in official Proton merchandise in the near future.
A portion of the Proton DX has also been designed as the physical manifestation of ATLAS Mall which is the built-in online store inside the ATLAS Auto app. While you can physically check out items from the store which range from air purifiers, car cleaning products, car mats, coffee beans, dashcams, sunglasses, teas, and car tinting, the purchase still has to be done through the app though.
Curious enough, Proton DX also showcases merchandise that comes from other brands within the Geely Group such as Lynk & Co, and Zeekr. They were not available for purchase though but ACO Tech’s representative that hosted our tour told us that the company is considering putting them on sale if there is enough demand from the public.
In case you are still wondering whether there is still something that you can “buy” directly from Proton DX, that would be the food and beverages from its Aico Café. Even though it is not a car showroom, selected customers will be provided with the option to pick up their new Proton vehicle at Proton DX which also has its own dedicated Delivery Bay.
Considering that the experiential centre has also been positioned as an avenue to help generate interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) among the younger generation, the establishment of Proton DX is a bold move by both ACO Tech and Proton in general. In some ways, Proton DX reminded us of what Petronas is trying to achieve with Petrosains but of course, at a much smaller scale.
That being said, it is also a huge challenge for both companies as they need to make sure that the centre remains interesting and exciting for as long as it can be. After all, Proton DX is meant to represent the brand’s spirit of innovation as well as its future.
