Barely a week after its first preview event, it seems that Proton has immediately begun testing the Proton e.MAS7 on our roads. Just this morning, we spotted a test unit of the first-ever Proton’s production EV within the Puduraya and Bukit Bintang area.
Proton is putting the e.MAS7 through its paces
Even though the basic design of the car is already known, the test vehicle is still draped in full camouflage wrapping. In fact, the camouflage design is much more intense on this unit compared to the two vehicles that we saw at last week’s preview event.
For example, the daytime running lights (DRL) that are located on the front bumper are completely covered. This applies to its wheels and the majority of the EV’s rear light as well.
Despite being covered, we noticed the wheel design for this test unit seems to be similar to the 19-inch Cyclone wheels that Geely has fitted on the highest-end variant of Galaxy E5. However, the wheel size is different from the e.MAS7 test unit as it still running on 18-inch 225/55 Atlas Excellion HP tyres that were also fitted to the units that were displayed at the media preview event.
This seems to indicate that Proton may make some aesthetic changes on the e.MAS7 to differentiate it from Galaxy E5. There is nothing out of the ordinary about this though.
The national automaker always made some changes to the vehicles that it has rebadged. This goes all the way back to the 1985 Proton Saga which was based on the second-generation Mitsubishi Lancer Fiore.
However, the e.MAS7 is different according to the company. Proton insists that the e.MAS7 is not a rebadge of Galaxy E5 but instead, it was co-engineered at the same time as the version that carries Geely’s badge.
Furthermore, Proton has said that the EV is engineered to deliver driving dynamics that can withstand Malaysian roads. So, its appearance on the Malaysian roads is likely part of the company’s effort to ensure that e.MAS7 is suitable for our road conditions.
Proton e.MAS7 to launch at the end of the year
During the recent preview event, Proton didn’t spill any in-depth details regarding the new e.MAS7. Hence, we don’t know how much power output it has, battery capacity, range, or even charging capability.
The company only mentioned several high-level information about the EV. This includes some of its main components such as a 12-in-1 electric drivetrain, Geely’s Aegis Short Blade LFP battery, and the 7nm SiEngine SE1000A system-on-chip.
Similar to Galaxy E5, the e.MAS7 also has a cell-to-body construction and its infotainment system will run on Flyme Auto operating system. Proton has also said that its subsidiary, Pro-Net will deploy localised telematics services for the new EV which covers navigation, vehicle control, Smart-like integration with up to 80% EV chargers nationwide, and support for the upcoming e.MAS Super App.
While the exact launch date of e.MAS7 is still under wraps, Proton has previously said that the new EV will be launched sometime in December. The automaker already aiming to have at least 25 operational e.MAS showroom before the launch takes place.
