Why does the Geely Galaxy E5 get a reddot award but not the Proton e.MAS 7?
The Geely Galaxy E5—also known as the EX5 in some markets—has officially won the Red Dot Award in the Product Design category. Naturally, congratulations are in order. But here’s a thought: since the Proton e.MAS 7 is essentially the same design but with a different badge, does Malaysia now get to bask in Red Dot glory too? After all, Proton claims to have put some real work in co-creating this vehicle with Geely.
Let’s not pretend this is some distant cousin relationship. The e.MAS 7 and Galaxy E5 are the same in all the ways that count: bodywork, lighting signatures, and that oh-so-sleek “porcelain-inspired” surfacing that’s supposed to evoke Ming dynasty sophistication. Perhaps this is the Malaysian link in the design – as the Ming dynasty had strong diplomatic ties to Malacca hundreds of years ago… If the E5 looks like a globally designed masterpiece, then Proton’s version surely isn’t far off—even if it arrives without the fanfare.
According to the press release from Geely, the Galaxy E5 was penned by Geely’s global design network spanning Shanghai, Gothenburg, Coventry, and Milan. With over 1,000 designers in play, it’s funny that Geely’s own press materials don’t mention Malaysia as part of the design team given Proton says they were there every step of the way during development. It’s another sign of the growing unease that Geely seems to have with Proton following the introduction of the E5 in what COULD have been Proton’s markets – Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
So where does this leave the Proton e.MAS 7? Well, perhaps the marketing material can now say that it is ‘Red Dot adjacent’. I mean, it’s hard to deny that even the Proton version, which is seperated by just a few badges, is very good looking. We just wished that Geely acted more holistically and given Proton and Malaysia some face. Instead it feels like either purposeful spite or just a neglectful approach to ‘group dynamics’.
It also calls into question the value of Reddot awards. It comes across more than ever like a pay-to-win award show if the Geely Galaxy E5 can be recognised for its design (after paying all necessary entry fees) but the Proton e.MAS 7 doesn’t get mentioned at all.
