KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 ― During the launch of Proton e.Mas brand, eagle-eyed viewers had spotted a glaring mistake during its live presentation. While showing Proton’s sales network for its EV business, the East Malaysian states were incorrectly labelled with Sabah and Sarawak swapping positions.

As expected, the map blunder attracted criticism on social media, raising concerns that a national car brand had failed to notice the mistake before the launch event which was also streamed live on Facebook.

This morning, Proton acknowledged and apologised for the mistake in the presentation slides. Here’s their statement in full:

PROTON acknowledges an error in a presentation mislabelling the states of Sabah and Sarawak.

We deeply regret this mistake and understand the sensitivities it has stirred among our fellow Malaysians.

PROTON holds the unity and diversity of Malaysia in the highest regard, and we are committed to respecting and

celebrating all states equally.

We sincerely apologise for any misunderstanding caused and appreciate any feedback from the public.

We will ensure greater care in our future endeavours. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

― Proton

To recap, Proton aims to have over 20 EV dealerships throughout Malaysia by the end of this year and they have received over 50 applications so far. During yesterday’s event, they announced the appointment of the first 17 dealerships which includes one in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The map error was also spotted when Proton showed its current EV charging infrastructure located at Proton and Smart premises. Proton currently has a total of 15 chargers (1 AC and 14 DC) while Smart has a total of 22 chargers (13 AC and 9 DC).

The Proton e.Mas brand features a cleaner 2D logo but still retails the same Proton branding on its vehicles and showrooms. Besides the simplified logo, the Proton e.Mas EVs will get an additional e.MAS badge on the bottom right of the boot lid.

The first e.Mas model codenamed Proton GMA 01 is said to launch in December 2024. It is expected that the first Proton EV will be based on the Geely Galaxy E5. ― SoyaCincau