Malaysia will soon have a National Automotive Test Center (NATC), if all goes according to plan. At the closing ceremony of the Global Automotive and Technology Expo 2025 last week, Proton and the Malaysia Automotive Robotics & IoT Institute (MARIi) exchanged documents for a strategic collaboration on the NATC.
The agreement outlines a five-year collaboration between the two parties in areas including the development of the NATC, and for 200 Proton R&D engineers and technical staff “to receive hands-on R&D experience through a structured programme”.
Proton promises its facilities will be included in the NATC, and this ‘shared facility collaboration’ includes the automaker’s semi-high-speed test track in Shah Alam and an R&D testing laboratory in Tanjong Malim. At the same time, MARii and Proton will work together to build a brand new NATC facility, with both parties contributing to the construction costs.
As the name suggests, the NATC is an industry-wide facility and can be used by other automakers, industry players, research institutes and academia, the two sides said.
This essentially means that Perodua can test its future cars at Proton’s Shah Alam circuit if it so chooses. Chery or BYD, for example, can also do RHD tests there, if they want. Whether the other OEMs will do so is another matter. The operational tasks for the facility will be led by MARii and supported by various stakeholders, including Proton. This reminds me of the National Emission Test Center (NETC), funded by Perodua, opened in 2018.
“MARIi is committed to supporting the national industrial agenda as set out in the National Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and the National Automotive Policy 2020 (NAP 2020). This partnership with Proton strengthens Malaysia’s capabilities in next-generation mobility through shared testing facilities, structured R&D development and expanded engineering capacity for new energy vehicles,” said Azrul Reza Aziz, CEO of MARii.
“Proton’s agreement with MARii strengthens the company’s commitment to the automotive industry in Malaysia while fulfilling our responsibility in realizing the objectives of the NIMP. There is great potential for the NATC to contribute to the development of new technology and new models, and we hope this leads to the realization of the country’s ambitions to be a regional automotive power,” said Li Chunrong, CEO of Proton.
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