KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd has officially launched its flagship model, the Proton X90, in Bangladesh, representing the fourth export market for the model with strong buyer acceptance.
In a statement, the national carmaker said two variants of the X90, the six-seat Flagship and seven-seat Premium, are offered to buyers with 25 units already registered less than two weeks following its unveiling in Dhaka at the end of last month.
“Together with the Proton X70 that is also available in Bangladesh and with more orders already confirmed and in the pipeline, there is optimism for Proton’s first New Energy Vehicle (NEV) to carve out a market niche before the start of local assembly (CKD) operations later in the year,“ it said.
Proton chief executive officer Li Chunrong said Rancon Holdings Ltd, the exclusive distributor for Proton in Bangladesh, is already establishing a sales and after-sales network and will invest in a manufacturing line to locally assemble Proton vehicles in the future.
“With more offerings in the pipeline, as well as our commitment to support all facets of the partnership, we aim to be a top-3 brand in Bangladesh within three years,“ he said.
Proton said a critical component to achieving its lofty targets in Bangladesh will be the setting up of an assembly line, as operations are targeted to begin as early as 2024, with strict production standards enforced to ensure the output matches the quality of vehicles built in Tanjong Malim.
“To ensure product quality in export markets that have local assembly are the same as the vehicles built in Malaysia, Proton is leaning on its experience of using the Volvo Global Quality Standard, which has been instrumental in improving the quality of our products,“ Li added. – Bernama
