Proton Edar: Smart #1 EV Coming to Malaysia in 2023 – No Local Assembly

We know that the Smart #1 EV will be coming to Malaysia via Proton Edar, but there’s no indication on exactly when it will be available here; until now. According to the deputy CEO of Proton, Roslan Abdullah, the electric SUV is “on track to be launched next year.”

This was reported by Paultan.org. Given that the import tax, excise duty, and road tax exemptions for imported EVs are only valid until the end of 2023, it’s evident that Proton Edar wants to take advantage of the savings. After all, it would make the Smart #1 that much more affordable.

At the moment, there are no plans for local assembly of the Smart #1; Roslan said that the expected volume is too small to benefit from economies of scale. Nonetheless, with the incentives given by the Malaysian government right now, the EV should be priced competitively.

In China, the Smart #1 retails from 190,000 Chinese yuan (about RM126,330) for the base Pro+ model. The Premium trim, on the other hand, goes for 230,000 yuan (approximately RM152,900). However, do note that these are “pre-sale” prices; the finalised pricing will only be revealed sometime in June before deliveries begin there in Q3 2022.

Just like the European-bound model, the Smart #1 for China features a 200kW motor driving the rear wheels that outputs 272PS and 343Nm of torque. This allows the EV to go from 0-100kmph in only 6.7 seconds with a top speed of 180kmph.

Aside from that, the Smart #1 – according to the CLTC standard – has a range of up to 535km for the Pro+; it goes up to 560km for the Premium model, thanks to the use of silicon carbide (SiC) technology in the motor. The Premium trim also gets a more sophisticated driver assistance systems, along with larger 19-inch wheels.

To recap, the Smart #1 will be launched right here in Malaysia sometime in 2023 next year. Hopefully, the EV will be priced similarly to China on our shores, thanks to the incentives given by the government.