Geely Auto CEO Jerry Gan revealed in his presentation last night at the Proton eMas 7 launch that in a milestone first step towards establishing Tanjung Malim’s Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) as a regional export hub, the first 200 left-hand drive (LHD) units of the Proton X50 have been exported to Vietnam.
No further details were divulged; neither was there mention of any distributorship there, so perhaps it’s something Proton’s export team is working on. Currently, Proton’s LHD markets include Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, but they only get the Saga.
The existence of an LHD X50 should open Proton up to a treasure trove of export opportunities (about 70% of the world is LHD), especially markets where Chinese brands are less preferred for various reasons. However extensive the X50’s right-hand drive re-engineering, having the born-LHD Geely Binyue as the basis can’t hurt, surely. It’s on sale in the Philippines, another ASEAN LHD nation, as the Geely Coolray.
2024 Proton X50 TGDi Flagship in Malaysia
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