Proton has returned to the rally stage — this time not through a competitive entry, but on the big screen. To mark Malaysia Day, Proton brought together customers, government stakeholders and members of its management team for a special screening of Astro Shaw’s latest film, TERBANG, a movie that draws heavily from the golden era of Malaysian motorsport and the company’s own rallying heritage.

The film follows Ajeet, a talented rally driver whose promising career is derailed by a traumatic accident. Haunted by the incident, he walks away from motorsport and isolates himself from the world he once loved. With encouragement from his friends, however, Ajeet gradually confronts his fears and begins the difficult journey back to the track, determined to chase his dream of bringing glory to Malaysia.

While TERBANG is a fictional story, its foundations are firmly rooted in real Malaysian motorsport history — particularly the career of Karamjit Singh. Known affectionately as the “Flying Sikh”, Karamjit is one of Malaysia’s most successful rally drivers, having won the 2002 FIA Production World Rally Championship, four FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship titles and 11 Malaysian National Rally Championship titles. A significant part of that success came during his time with Proton’s factory-backed rally programme, making the company’s motorsport heritage an important part of the film’s inspiration.

Proton’s involvement in TERBANG goes considerably deeper than simply having its badge appear on screen. The company provided a historic PERT rally car for the production, while its test track and garage facilities were also made available for the filming of key scenes. These locations and cars helped give the movie a genuine connection to the world of rallying, rather than simply recreating it for cinematic effect.

The partnership also extended beyond the film itself. Proton e.MAS served as the official mobility partner for the TERBANG X STING EV Road Trip, a promotional campaign held in conjunction with the movie’s release. The campaign brought together the film’s cast, the Proton e.MAS community and EV owners through road trips and exclusive meetups in locations including Melaka and Johor Bahru. In many ways, the collaboration connects two very different chapters of Proton’s history — its motorsport achievements of the past and its growing involvement in electric mobility today.

Although Proton is no longer actively competing in motorsport, its rallying history remains one of the most memorable chapters in the company’s story. From the Proton Wira 4WD to the PERT rally programme, Proton and its engineers, mechanics and drivers competed on stages both in Malaysia and around the world.

For Karamjit Singh, the combination of the PERT team and Proton’s rally machinery provided the platform for some of his greatest achievements, including his 2002 Production World Rally Championship victory. It is this period of success that TERBANG seeks to bring back into the spotlight for a new generation.

Speaking at the film’s premiere, Proton Chief Executive Officer Dr Li Chunrong described the movie as a tribute to an important period in Malaysian motorsport history. “For Proton, this movie is a tribute to a golden era of Malaysian motorsport built by our engineers, mechanics and drivers,” said Dr Li. “Cars like the Proton Wira 4WD and the PERT team carried our name onto the world stage during Karamjit Singh’s championship-winning years, and this film shares that spirit of grit, teamwork and national pride with a new generation.”

The collaboration also gives Proton an opportunity to reconnect today’s customers with a part of the brand’s history that may be unfamiliar to younger Malaysians. Before electric vehicles, SUVs and increasingly connected cars became part of Proton’s story, the company was putting its name — and its cars — through some of the toughest rally stages in the region. Through TERBANG, that chapter of Malaysian automotive history is being given a new audience, allowing the sounds, cars and personalities of Proton’s rallying era to live on beyond the competition stage.