Having finally launched the Smart #1 yesterday, all eyes are now on Proton—and, by extension, Perodua—to develop and sell its own homegrown electric vehicle. This was fuelled further by comments made by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who said he is “confident” that the two national carmakers will be able to produce their own EVs by 2025.
According to paultan.org, Zafrul told the assembled media at the #1 launch event that Proton and Perodua has assured the ministry of the goal themselves. “At MITI, they have shared the latest updates on their plans. Our team from MITI is also involved in understanding this progress. So far, it looks like it can be achieved. According to the briefings by the national carmakers, we’ll be able to achieve the goal, in 2025,” he said.
Zafrul added that the government wants foreign carmakers to set up shop here too, encouraging the establishment local assembly plants to bring the costs of CKD EVs down. “The government is giving plenty of incentives for EVs, but as mentioned earlier, the incentives must be enjoyed by all Malaysians, not just those who can afford it [at current prices]. We want to democratise the use of EVs, to ensure that more people can afford EVs,” he said.
Of course, locally assembling EVs would also remove the biggest stumbling block in terms of offering cheaper EVs—the RM100,000 minimum price currently mandated for CBU fully-imported EVs. By the way, Zafrul had previously told the automotive portal that the government plans to remove this requirement (implemented for obvious protectionist reasons) after 2025, although the ending of CBU EV tax exemptions during that exact same timeframe would make this a moot point.
Earlier, during his speech at the event, Zafrul said he expects Proton to learn how to build its own EVs through bringing Smart into Malaysia, adding that he hoped to see such a car in two years’ time:
We expect local automotive industry players to continue earning their stripes in the EV ecosystem in line with the government’s agenda and aspiration to systematically grow and empower this sector to stand tall globally. I expect Proton to quickly learn new EV technologies brought over through this partnership [with Smart] and develop its own EV production capabilities soon.
At the end of the day, the benefits from developing this industry will help to ensure Malaysia’s relevance, economic resilience and competitiveness in the global technology, investment and trade landscape.
Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Tengku Zafrul Aziz
Proton has already brought forward its timeline for introducing its own electric vehicles by two years to 2025. According to its deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah, the company is working with Geely to identify an “affordable and practical” model from the latter’s stable for it to adapt to the local market.
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