Tesla has received yet another contender here in Malaysia, known as the Smart #1, which just made its official launch in the country today. Offered in three variants, prices for the new electric vehicle (EV) start from RM189,000 and top out at RM249,000.
If you are among the folks who have dropped an order for the new EV, or are still on the fence about which EV to buy, and are curious about plans Smart Malaysia has for the Smart #1 and its business as a whole in Malaysia, you’ve come to the right place. Smart Malaysia, together with the brand’s official importer and distributor, Proton New Energy Technology Sdn Bhd (PRO-NET) has sat down and answered some questions members of the media had for them.
How many bookings for the Smart #1 have been received so far?
Order books for the Smart #1 have been open since the end of August, even before the official launch took place. Within a timeframe of three months, Smart Malaysia has garnered over 500 bookings for its first EV model in Malaysia. However, this is still a bit of a distance away from the 1,001 unit target the company has set.
RELATED: 2023 Smart #1 launched in Malaysia – from RM189k, 3 variants, up to 440km range
I’ve dropped a booking. How soon will my Smart #1 be delivered?
The carmaker’s top brass mentioned that thus far, 300 units of the Smart #1 have reached Malaysia shores, and are ready to be delivered to its first batch of customers starting on the day after the official launch date, which is tomorrow (November 22).
As for the remaining 200 or so of you who have also dropped your bookings for the Smart #1, the company stated that you will only have to wait approximately one or two months for your new EV to be delivered.
Ratio of booking numbers between the three variants?
Just in case you are curious, 60% of the 500 or so customers who booked the 2023 Smart #1 have chosen to go with the top-of-the-range Brabus variant. This means the remaining 40% opted for the Premium and Pro variants.
Smart Malaysia’s sales target for 2024?
As the world is entering 2024 very soon, Smart Malaysia is targeting to sell around 800 to 1,000 units of its Smart #1 EV for the next year (2024), and is aiming to gain around 10% of the local EV market share.
When will Smart’s vehicle CKD operations in Malaysia start?
Currently, the Smart #1 sold in the Malaysian market is fully imported (CBU) from China. However, just two months ago, Proton and Smart Automobile both signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to study the feasibility of locally assembling Smart vehicles in Malaysia at Proton’s Tanjung Malim plant.
As to when will local assembly (CKD) operations for Smart’s vehicles begin in Malaysia, Proton and Smart Malaysia both mentioned that there is no fixed timeframe just yet. However, both companies are working hard on the feasibility study, and are aiming to make this a reality as soon as possible.
Exactly what’s the percentage of customers that dropped their orders online?
When asked on what is the percentage of customers that have dropped their orders for the Smart #1 online via the brand’s Hello Smart app, as opposed to doing it the traditional way via dealers, Smart Malaysia responded that around 70 to 80% of its customers did it online through its Hello Smart app.
Any aspirations to export locally assembled Smart vehicles to neighbouring markets?
Considering Smart Automobile’s investment in the Malaysian market, as well as its consideration to assemble its cars over here, naturally, people will start asking if Smart vehicles will be exported to neighbouring countries if the CKD operations are given the green light.
As a response to this question, Proton as a local partner of Smart Automobiles in Malaysia mentioned that if Smart’s vehicles are to be locally assembled (CKD) in its Tanjung Malim plant, there will certainly be plans to export them to foreign markets.
However, certain requirements such as whether other countries allow the said vehicles to be exported to their markets, as well as local quotas said by the different countries certainly need to be put into consideration, said Proton CEO, Roslan Abdullah. However, Smart Malaysia added that it is aiming to start ‘exploring’ the Thai market starting mid of next year (2024).
RELATED: Proton & Smart looking into assembling Smart cars in Malaysia, signs MoA
