Being the first company to locally assemble electric cars in Malaysia, Volvo Car Malaysia is now set on expanding its electric vehicle (EV) exports into Vietnam and the Philippines. The company already exports EVs to Thailand and Indonesia and aims to transform Malaysia into an electric vehicle hub in the ASEAN region.
In a statement by Volvo Car Malaysia on its electrification and sustainability ambition for 2023, Volvo Car Malaysia Managing Director, Charles Frump said, “Volvo Car Malaysia’s ambition towards an all-electric Malaysia is steadily becoming a reality. Our assembly plant here in Malaysia plays an important role in our electrification ambition as we bring our electric vehicles to two more ASEAN countries – Vietnam and the Philippines. The exportation of our locally assembled electric vehicles is one of our many steps to propel Malaysia into becoming a hub for electric vehicles in the ASEAN region.”
Currently, both Vietnam and Philippine markets do not have any electric Volvos on sale. Volvo Car Malaysia currently exports its EVs to Thailand and Indonesia. Like Malaysia, cars in both countries are right-hand drive (RHD). Cars in Vietnam and the Philippines are left-hand drive (LHD). Besides Malaysia, Volvo’s electric vehicles are also assembled in China.
In Malaysia, Volvo’s EV offerings include the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric and the Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric. The former was launched in March 2022 receiving 400 orders within the first month of its launch. The C40 was launched in December of the same year. Both cars are assembled in the company’s plant in Shah Alam and are offered in single variants only.
Having sold 3,194 cars in 2022 (43% increase from 2021), Volvo Car Malaysia aims to increase the number of its electric vehicles to 75% of its sales by 2025. By 2030, it aims to become a fully electric car company.
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