The Ministry of International Trade and Industry is in discussions with local carmaker Proton and Perodua to expedite the development of national electric vehicles (EV), Bernama reports.
“This move is also expected to widen the range of EV choices in the market for the people,” MITI minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said in his winding-up speech in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. He clarifies that these made-in-Malaysia EVs will be focused on affordability, so more Malaysians can have access to them.
Meanwhile, the approved permit (AP) guidlines are also being improved to give flexibility in terms of the maximum number of completely built-up (CBU) vehicle imports for the purpose of pre-assembly market research. This is so that the local assemblers have the opportunity to assess the needs of the Malaysian EV market segment before commencing production.
This announcement is in line with the ministry’s recent efforts to make EVs more affordable for the masses. Just two days ago, Tengku Zafrul announced that the NEVTF (National EV Task Force) are currently working on ways to reduce EV sticker prices.
Meanwhile, MITI deputy secretary general of industry, Datuk Seri Norazman Ayub, said there will also be more EV models – priced from as low as RM120,000 – to be introduced in Malaysia starting Q2 2023. These will be imported “particularly from China”, he added.
READ MORE: Malaysia, Singapore sign cooperation agreements for EV charging standards
On the topic of national EVs, Proton is arguably one step or more ahead than Perodua – at least publicly. The former has already announced plans on becoming a regional manufacturing hub for electric vehicles, and has already set up an EV subsidiary called PRO-NET, with an electrification roadmap that begins with MHEVs this year.
Meanwhile, Perodua – according to a single slide presented to the media recently – is planning to introduce its first locally-assembled hybrid model next year, while a fully electric BEV is scheduled for sometime around 2029.
