Aside from giving us a brief preview of its upcoming SUV – likely dubbed the Proton X90, which is based on the Geely Haoyue – Proton also launched a new stamping line at its Tanjung Malim plant in Perak. Not only is it the largest stamping line in Malaysia, it can also reduce the national carmaker’s use of imported parts by 115,000 units every year.

This, in turn, boosts Proton’s localisation efforts for its range of SUV models manufactured at Tanjung Malim, including the X50, X70, and the upcoming “X90,” which has just started production today. The RM140 million stamping line can also produce up to 50 unique components, including body panels.

“The launch of our new stamping line in Tanjung Malim is a major addition to Proton’s car production capabilities. As a national automotive brand, the increased use of locally sourced parts in our production activities is vital to the national automotive ecosystem and helps reduce the outflow of funds from the country,” said the deputy CEO of Proton, Roslan Abdullah.

“Aside from potentially reducing our use of imported parts by 115,000 units per year, the stamping line also allows for greater flexibility when deciding our production mix every month and improves the speed by which we can locally produce new models,” he added.

Hopefully, the improved manufacturing speed will come in handy to ensure that Proton can meet customer demands, now that the national carmaker has another SUV entering the market soon. Once the X90 is ready for launch, it will join the existing X50 and X70.