Geely to launch full ICE, EV line-up in Indonesia, CKD 2Q25, 100 stores by 2027 – Proton plans cancelled?

Geely has (re)entered Indonesia with the EX5 (Proton eMas 7), which will be locally assembled (CKD) in Bekasi by this year’s second quarter, and there will be 100 sales and service outlets within three years.

The Chinese giant also has plans to launch its full ICE and EV model range in the republic – silhouetted in the slide above are, left to right, Coolray (X50 facelift), EX5 (eMas 7), Monjaro, Okavango (X90 facelift), Xingyuan (eMas 5), Galaxy Starship 7 (eMas 7 PHEV) and another Coolray (special edition?).

All well and good, but when Proton and Geely got married in 2017, the promise then was to use the Proton brand for right-hand drive (RHD) and ASEAN markets, making Malaysia Geely’s regional RHD hub. In 2020, Geely asked Proton to expand into ASEAN markets, especially Thailand and Indonesia.

In 2021, Proton confirmed it would return to both markets – which we know is the only way to get even remotely close to its ASEAN No 3 goal.

Now, four years later – and nearly eight years into the marriage – Geely is in Thailand, Australia/New Zealand, and with today’s news, Indonesia, as itself and not Proton. These are all major right-hand drive (RHD) markets. Geely is rumoured to enter South Africa soon too, with the EX5.

Only last month, the Chinese carmaker reiterated its commitment to Malaysia as its regional production and R&D hub, specifically Tanjung Malim’s Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV).

It said then it would enter and establish dealer networks in Proton’s non-existent markets, but it proceeded to open a plant in Egypt last week to make Geely-badged cars, starting with the Emgrand and Coolray.

It’s looking more and more like the plan now is to have Proton sell budget cars, like the Saga and other future AMA products, abroad, with the possible exception of South Africa, where the Geely-based X50, X70 and X90 are sold as Protons, Mauritius, where the Proton X90 is sold, and Pakistan, where the Proton X70 is sold.

Proton is also in RHD markets such as Bangladesh, Kenya and Brunei, but they are largely not big markets and it remains to be seen if the Proton brand will continue to be used for EVs moving forward, besides Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, and possibly Brunei.

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