Zeekr EVs will be locally assembled at Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) Tg Malim – Proton

In the future, EVs from Zeekr will be locally assembled at the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV), Tanjong Malim, Perak. This is according to Proton, which launched its new EV plant within its complex at Tg Malim today. You can think of Proton as the ‘anchor tenant’ of AHTV, which was launched in 2022.

“Proton’s partnership with Zhejiang Geely Holding Ltd (Geely) would also see other premium brands, such as Zeekr, being locally assembled within AHTV,” Proton said in a press release. Zeekr is a premium brand of Geely, which is of course Proton’s foreign partner and donor of its SUVs and EVs.

In October 2023, DRB-Hicom and Geely signed a master collaboration agreement that sets forth the underlying principles, governance framework and mutual commitment for the AHTV project, including specific roles to be undertaken for development and promotional initiatives.

AHTV will attract investments both locally and from overseas, which will propel it to be an international automotive hub for NEVs (new energy vehicles, China’s term for electrified vehicles), DRB-Hicom said in a statement then.

“Its focus will not only be on the production of automobiles of various makes, but also in the manufacturing of high-technology components and parts for NEVs. This will further expand the capability of local vendors towards specialising in high-technology manufacturing,” the company added.

Both DRB-Hicom and Geely has since signed MoUs with Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) to collaborate on developing AHTV.

Zeekr currently sells three EVs in Malaysia – the Zeekr 009 luxury SUV, the Zeekr X crossover and most recently, the Zeekr 7X SUV which competes with the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7.

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