The Proton e.MAS 7 is launching in Malaysia by the end of this year and Proton has finally revealed the interior, specs and estimated pricing of its first-ever EV. For the interior, the Proton e.MAS 7 only comes in Indigo Blue, a very dark shade of blue that looks more like black.
During the Proton e.MAS 7 Tour, some units appear to come with a white interior and we think this is the better option.
From our first impressions, the white interior looks very good and it comes with a dual-tone scheme with black surfaces covering the back of the seats and upper parts of the dashboard and door trims. As you would expect from a lighter colour scheme, white does make the car look roomier and spacious on the inside.
Of course, one of the main concerns with a white interior is that dirt and stains would be easily noticeable, which is the case on some other EVs. After being used for almost a week, the seats appear to be more hard wearing than expected and there are no visible stains on the white seats.
Unfortunately, the e.MAS 7 won’t be offered in this white interior option when it goes on sale in Malaysia. Despite carrying the Proton e.MAS badge, what you’re seen here is just a prototype unit as part of its tour and testing. However, based from what we saw during the e.MAS 7 tour visits, there’s a lot of interest for the white interior.
The biggest question is whether Malaysians would ultimately choose white over black when they place their booking if the option was available. Many would agree that white looks better than black but when one starts to think about potential scenarios like carrying kids with potential spills at the back seat, they tend to sway towards the safer option with the black interior.
Nevertheless, we are seeing other carmakers like Tesla offering white interior as an option. Surprisingly, we do see quite a number of buyers in Malaysia who are willing to fork out the RM5,000 extra to switch to a white interior.
It is interesting to point out that the e.MAS 7’s Chinese twin, the Geely Galaxy E5, does come in multiple interior options. Besides Black and White, there’s also a Brown interior option which is exclusive to the Green and Blue exterior colour options for the range-topping “Starship Edition” variant.
The Proton e.MAS 7 is estimated to be priced at RM120,000 and it offers a couple of differences compared to the Galaxy E5 sold in China. Among the changes include an upgraded charging capability with 11kW three-phase AC onboard charger, localised suspension set up to suit Malaysian preference and improved protection against floods with maximum water wading depth of 400mm.
You can learn more about the localised upgrades for the Proton e.MAS 7.
