You already know everything there is to know about the Proton eMas 7 PHEV from a products and variants point of view, and now the first eMas with an engine and exhaust pipe (sorry, we don’t think we’re going to call it a “dual drive EV”) is open for booking in Malaysia. No more camouflage either, so enjoy this avalanche of photos – finally in real life!
The estimated price is between RM110k And RM130k and the launch will take place in February, ahead of deliveries shortly afterwards. Of course, there is an early bird package: book the eMas 7 PHEV for just RM99 and receive a discount on the booking fee of RM500 if your car is among the first 5,000 successfully registered.
Since the eMas 7 PHEV hasn’t actually been launched yet, the RM129,800 Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV is still Malaysia’s cheapest PHEV for now. We obviously expect final prices to be below estimated prices, so let’s wait for the launch to officially declare it the most affordable plug-in hybrid in the country.
The China Imported (CBU) eMas 7 PHEV is essentially a Geely EX5/Starray/Galaxy Starship 7 EM-i and features a 99 PS/125 Nm 1.5 liter BHE15-DFN non-turbo engine that joins forces with a 218 PS/262 Nm front motor to deliver a combined power of 262 PS and 262 Nm of torque to the front wheels to send.
The petrol engine is closely related to the BHE15-CFN of the Saga MC3. Still port-injected, but made simpler and lighter for higher efficiency, runs on an Atkinson cycle full-time instead of part-time, has only single instead of dual VVT and features efficient exhaust gas recirculation (EGR).
Furthermore, the lack of an auxiliary belt minimizes parasitic losses – no belt-driven A/C compressor and inverter. And like the Saga, it uses a timing chain, so there is no timing belt either. The thermal efficiency of the engine is 46.5% – slightly lower than in China, which gets an updated version that is more efficient and powerful – 111 hp and 136 Nm of torque.
An 11-to-1 electrified special hybrid transmission (E-DHT) combines a P1 integrated starter generator and a P3 traction motor. The system works similar to Honda’s e:HEV, in that the car is powered primarily by electricity, but the engine can be turned on at higher speeds, when gasoline is more efficient. It’s a series plug-in hybrid and not an EV, so it will have an engine size-based road tax and wear black number plates.
There are Prime, Premium and Premium Plus variants. The bottom two get an 18.4 kWh CATL LFP battery, an EV range of 83 km, a combined range of 943 km, DC charging up to 30 kW (30-80% in less than 20 minutes) and a 0-100 km/h time of eight seconds.
The highest range Premium Plus gets a 29.8 kWh Geely Aegis Short Blade LFP battery, an EV range of 146 km, a combined range of 996 km, DC charging up to 60 kW (30-80% in less than 16 minutes) and a sprint time of 8.2 seconds.
All models mentioned above are based on the more realistic WLTP cycle. Proton has, in a departure from usual, chosen to market this model using NEDC figures, clearly to better align with its rivals. The combined NEDC range is 1,065 km for the Premium Plus and 1,000 km for the Prime and Premium, the corresponding NEDC fuel consumption is an estimated 4.4 and 4.3 liters per 100 km, and their respective NEDC EV-only range is 170 and 105 km.
The move from WLTP to NEDC is certainly a step backwards, as the former is clearly more realistic and closer to what customers will ultimately get in the real world. Proton eMas has long advocated the use of WLTP, versus most of its NEDC competitors.
In terms of combined range, the eMas 7 PHEV loses out to the Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV (1,200 km) and Jaecoo J7 PHEV (1,300 km), mainly because the fuel tank at 51 liters is smaller than 60 for both Chery Group products. In terms of actual fuel efficiency, it’s the Proton that has the edge.
At 8.0-8.2 seconds, the eMas 7 PHEV is slower than its EV sister (6.9 seconds) to 100 km/h, but faster than its turbocharged PHEV rivals Jaecoo and Chery (both around 8.5 seconds). And while we compare with that, the eMas 7 PHEV also has the longest pure EV range and faster DC charging too.
A 51-litre pressurized fuel tank, 6.6 kW AC charging capacity, 170 kmph top speed, vehicle-to-charge (V2L) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) capabilities are common across all variants.
Exterior-wise, the eMas 7 PHEV differs from the EV with split headlights (DRLs above, headlights below), full-width front LED bar (except Prime), a different front bumper, and regular door handles (the EV’s are hidden/pop-out/recessed/recessed/retractable – call them whatever you want). The rear license plate has been moved from the bumper to the tailgate, allowing for a minor redesign of the rear bumper.
Same tire and wheel sizes as the EV (225/55 R18 for the Prime; 235/50 R19 with Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance SUV rubber for the rest), but the PHEV gets a new multi-spoke design. Delay? Just like the EV: MacPhersons at the front, multi-links at the rear. It has a global scope; no ‘Proton ride and handling’. The drag coefficient (Cd) is 0.288, compared to 0.275 in the EV.
Length, width, height and wheelbase are 4,740, 1,940, 1,685 and 2,755 mm respectively, making it 125 mm longer, 39 mm wider and 15 mm taller, and has a 5 mm longer wheelbase than its EV sister. It is also slightly larger than both the Chery and the Jaecoo.
Domestic time. You’ll find the cabin is pretty much the same as the eMas 7 EVs (making CKD easier and cheaper; the Chinese version has a different cabin) – regardless of the variant, you get Flyme OS (with Bahasa Melayu support) powered by an automotive-grade 7nm chip, live charging map integration, a 10.2-inch LCD instrument cluster, a 2.5K 15.4-inch central infotainment touchscreen and leatherette chairs.
But unlike the EV, the PHEV gets a tonneau cover from the start (except Prime) and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, plus physical controls for the sunroof (sunroof only on Premium Plus). To refresh your memory, on the EV you have to go to the screen to operate the sunroof. The button-like inserts for the front seat backs here have been changed from chrome in the EV to satin silver to better match the rest of the interior, but they also detract from the small Proton logos the EV has.
By the way, the PHEV’s driving modes are Pure (that’s the EV-only mode), Hybrid and Power, compared to the EV’s Eco/Comfort/Sport. Pro-Net says interior space is about the same as the EV: there’s 932mm hip-to-hip between the front and rear seats, 125mm of rear knee room and 73.5mm of rear headroom, the latter of which the automaker says is class-leading.
Let’s talk variants and equipment. Literally the only differences between Premium and Premium Plus are the battery, the maximum DC rate and the sunroof.
Both are equipped equally: electric tailgate, automatically folding side mirrors, auto-dimming frameless rear-view mirror, electrically adjustable/ventilated front seats, fully adjustable front passenger seat, rear center armrest, ambient lighting in 256 colors, tonneau cover, 13.8-inch head-up display, wireless charging, 16 Flyme Sound Wanos speakers, including in the headrests, automatic air conditioning, seven airbags, including a central airbag (which Geely Galaxy E5 in China (and our eMas 7 EV does not), a 360 camera and front parking sensors.
The Prime doesn’t get all the stuff mentioned in the previous paragraph, but makes do with six speakers, six airbags and a reversing camera. It also has the smaller of the two wheels on offer and no full-width LED bar at the front (we’re yet to get our eyes on this base variant, so what it looks like is still a mystery, as is the brand of tires used – Giti like the eMas 7 Prime EV?).
In terms of active safety, while all variants get AEB, ACC, ICC, lane keeping functions, vehicle departure warning and traffic sign recognition, the Prime omits emergency lane assist, rear collision warning, cross traffic warning and braking, lane change safety warning, blind spot detection, door open warning and occupant detection warning.
Pro-Net has been wildly inconsistent with its base variants – see, the eMas 7 Prime EV has full ADAS, while the eMas 5 Prime has no ADAS (although it does have blind spot detection and RCTA). Now the eMas 7 PHEV Prime has ADAS but no blind spot detection.
The luggage compartment has a capacity of 528 liters; fold down the rear seats for 2,065. This is a lot more than the 461 and 1,877 liters of the EV. The PHEV’s 100 liters of hidden underfloor storage is also 49 liters larger than the EV’s, although the EV’s underseat drawer is lost as that space is now taken up by the fuel tank.
You can get your eMas 7 PHEV in Obsidian Black, Lithium White, Mercury Silver, Galena Gray or Aquamarine Blue, while the interior is available in Alabaster White or Onyx Black (black is new – the interior of the eMas 7 EV is Alabaster White or Indigo Blue).
The service interval is 12 months/20,000km and according to Pro-Net, the car is 41% cheaper over 10 years than a ‘ICE SUV from the same segment’ (the X70 is our estimate) at RM29,200 versus RM49,800, including fuel, charging and maintenance. Estimated costs of course.
Incidentally, Proton successfully completed its two-day livestream stunt: a convoy of eMas 7 PHEVs (full tank, full battery) drove from Penang to Johor Bahru and then to Shah Alam before ending at the Proton COE, covering 1,104.5 km with a further range of 189 km and an average of 4.0 liters per 100 km. It should be noted that this was achieved by driving mainly on the highway and does not easily reflect real-world conditions.
Proton eMas 7 PHEV Premium
Proton eMas 7 PHEV Premium Plus interior
Proton eMas 7 PHEV official photos
Proton eMas 7 PHEV presentation slides
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