Proton Teams Up With Major Foreign Hybrid OEMs

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) — Proton Holdings Bhd is collaborating with major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) involved in the production of hybrid components and systems, according to managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

He said the move would help Proton fast track plans for rolling out its very own hybrid scars within two to three years.

“It is too early to talk of introducing a hybrid car in the local market. I can only say that we are looking at this possibility in two to three years time before we go into mass production,” he said.

“To realise this, we have started collaborating with several foreign OEMs such as Bosch who are involved in producing hybrid components and system.

“With this collaboration, we are not seeking to reinvent the wheel but only learning from them. Whatever technology they have, can be applied to Proton,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the 13th Civil Service Conference here Monday.

Bosch, a German auto parts maker, is the world’s largest supplier of automobile components. The company has business relationships with virtually every automobile manufacturer in the world.

Bosch is in a joint venture with Samsung to produce lithium-ion hybrid vehicle batteries.

Lithium-ion battery technology is considered a key technology for the future of energy storage.

Syed Zainal also said that Proton was currently undertaking research and development to identify certain aspects of technology to reduce the cost of producing hybrid cars.

A hybrid car uses two forms of energy to power it – normal fuel and battery or electricity.

– BERNAMA