Bangladesh Keen On Proton's Investment In Car Manufacturing

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Proton Holdings Bhd's electric vehicle manufacturing has drawn interest from Bangladesh which is seeking to secure investment from the Malaysian national carmaker.

Attracting investment by Malaysian companies across various sectors figures prominently on the agenda of Bangladesh interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus during his three-day Malaysia visit starting on Monday.

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"They produce a lot of cars. During the visit, Bangladesh will invite Proton Holdings to invest here," Yunus's press secretary Shafiqul Alam said at a media briefing in Dhaka on Sunday, according to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha report.

He was referring to the Malaysian automaker's electric vehicle (EV) push in his remarks.

The company launched its first-ever electric vehicle, the Proton e.MAS 7, in December 2024, and is holding a tour of key Malaysian cities between August and October to preview the Proton e.MAS 5, the second car in the EV series.

Bangladesh will also explore Malaysia’s involvement in deep-sea fishing.

"We catch Hilsa and other marine fish within 40 to 50 kilometres of the deep sea. However, our maritime boundary is about 210,000 square kilometres," Shafiqul Alam said.

Yunus, whose trip is being undertaken at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Asif Nazrul and Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan.

The National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, special envoy to the Chief Adviser on international affairs Lutfey Siddiqui and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) executive chairman Chowdhury Ashiq Bin Harun are also part of the delegation.

-- BERNAMA