Proton X90 makes debut in Bangladesh

PROTON has announced that the X90 has been launched in Bangladesh on February 29. This is the fourth export market for the automaker’s flagship SUV after Mauritius, South Africa, and Brunei.

Held in the capital city of Dhaka, the event was officiated over by H.E. Haznah Md. Hashim, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of Proton and Romo Rouf Chowdhury, Group Managing Director, Rancon Holdings Limited, the exclusive distributor for Proton in Bangladesh.

Two variants of the X90, the six-seat Flagship and seven-seat Premium, are offered to buyers, and to date, 25 units have already been registered in less than two weeks following its unveiling.

In a statement, Proton states that there is optimism for its first New Energy Vehicle (NEV) to carve out a market niche prior to local assembly (CKD) operations starting later in the year.

“Proton is confident Rancon Holdings is the perfect partner for Proton to be successful in Bangladesh. They are already establishing a sales and after sales network and will invest in a manufacturing line to locally assemble Proton vehicles in the future,” said Dr. Li Chunrong.

“With more offerings in the pipeline, as well as our commitment to support all facets of the partnership, we aim to be a the top-3 brand in Bangladesh within three years,” he added.

A critical component to Proton achieving its lofty targets in Bangladesh will be the setting up of an assembly line. Aside from allowing its products to qualify for more favourable tax rates, a new plant also encourages the development of skilled local workers while energizing the vendor ecosystem through technology transfers.

Operations are targeted to begin as early as 2024, with strict production standards enforced to ensure the output matches the quality of vehicles built in Tanjong Malim.

“To ensure product quality in export markets that have local assembly are the same as the vehicles built in Malaysia, Proton is leaning on its experience of using the Volvo Global Quality Standard, which has been instrumental in improving the quality of our products,” said Dr. Li.