The Malaysian government is in the midst of discussions with foreign automakers for the latter to set up electric and hybrid vehicle assembly and distribution points here, Bernama reports.
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, who made the announcement, said that the discussion is at several stages, adding that the government will wait for the respective companies to make the announcement.
“The manufacturers are from many countries, but I cannot reveal the details for now. Some are serious, and some want to think about the idea,” he told reporters at the launch of the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Showcase in KL on Wednesday.
Mukhriz said the plans are in line with the government’s aspiration to transform Malaysia into an electric and hybrid vehicle hub in the region, and also said that Malaysia is trying to look at it from the standpoint of the Asean market rather than just the local market alone.
He added that the government is also talking to several automotive parts and component makers to establish plants here.
“We understand also that there are a number of different components in the car manufacturing industry, including in the hybrid business. So once we are talking wih the automotive sector, we are also talking to the parts and components suppliers to convince them to look at Malaysia as a serious destination for their investment, while at the same time supporting the industry as a whole,” he said.
Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.
hopefully this is the right move to put malaysia back on the maps
Cheaper Hybrid/EV cars for us,maybe?
Sounds good. but what are the incentives for the buyers?
Inviting car makers to set up production centres is great. I am sure there will be numerous incentives put on the table to woo these car makers like tax cuts.
but the question is, if we are to become a manufacturing hub for EV and hybrid vehicles, it should also translate in the take up rate for such products in the market. will there be incentives for buyers to embrace EV/ Hybrids in the longer run?
While nearly every country in this region already has its own
automotive assembly plant,
Let’s hope that Msia be the First off the blocks and have the headstart as being
the First country to have an EV/Hybrid hub !!
Good move MITI and looking forward to a major overhaul
to our NAP too.
Hopefully is not too late and really sincere with the plan.
Think about what happened previously when proton cars was introduced, all the other car makes became more expensive.
This is what will happen. Once the proton manufactures the Hybrid and EV cars, the other car makes will become more expensive and would lose the current tax exemption incentives.
This is what they are aiming for. It’s a thought and most probably it will become true one day.
I hope the government take this opportunity to reboot the car industry on a level playing ground.
If they repeat what they did with the “projek kereta nasional”…
:( 
Are there any side effect of importing lots and lots of Lithium (or Nickel if they want to produce a cheaper version battery) into this country then? Toxic maybe?
Hope theres no more ‘Minamata Bay’ tragedy to us. Its all because of Battery….
pada saya tak perlulalh kalau d ikutkan pada dasar DAN kerajaan aritu…
kebanyakan kereta macam ni bawah daripada 2000cc n kerajaan telah tetapkan kereta dengan cc bawah 2000 tak boleh pasang dalam negara…ingat tak yang kereta china nak pasang dekat Malaysia n ape cite…
tak boleh pasang ar tu…
kerajaan kena betulkan dulu polisi tersebut yang nampak merugikan negara khususnya untuk kereta hybrid dan juga elektrik…
pembuat polisi pun cepat2 update apa teknologi dalam pasaran…contoh dia-solarin turtle, skuter elektrik….tak pernah lepas sbb Malaysia baru nak buat undang2 elektrik dan baru je lepas baru2 ini…padahal benda ni lama dah…
last2 company ni pun cabut lari n buat pelaburan dekat lain…kenapalah kita kalau bab benda macam ni selalu pandang ringan?
Who wants to come without an affirmative Automative policy!!??
Just look at Afta… All the major manufacturers went to neighbouring countries because of our protectionist Auto policies. Now you want them to come after scaring them off.
Another Screw up!!
all of them have similar auto policy with malaysia….eg thai flat rate for import tax is 80% with lower excise max 50% plus inferior tax (10% of excise tax) n VAT total 188%-328%….malaysia import tax 30% n excise max 105% plus 10% sles tax total 115%-145% …
thai
Eg. Import car below 2000cc is 188% if they make in thai 108%
Malaysia
Eg. Import car below 2000cc is 115% if make internally 85%
But where u think better for investment…for me thailand why? Cheaper workforce plus big market, cheaper baht n the tax they will avoid is more than if they setup in malaya
http://www.motorcycle.in.th/staticpages/index.php/Table_of_Tax_and_Duty_Rates
http://www.maa.org.my/info_duty.htm
More less same like malaysia…..do you want me to include indonesia?…hoho
I made mistake on calc for malaysia suppose 144%-300%
Ignore both calc for minus import tax…wrong calc
His Pants are full of shit.
we will wait and see lor.. stop bashing around.. else nothing will work.. at least He got plan…
)
plan?
i smell politics oni la……
If I have no benefit/portion from Proton, I will slowly indirectly kill it off by supporting …….
Another hopeless dream he got plan but he ain’t have brains. Where is all the big company gone to thailand and indonesia. Nobody want to do business in Malaysia cuss we have proton and sang kancil cuss tht is our baby and we kill all who do business here, Maybe he can make toy car batteries
I think they should look wider to include other alternative fuels vehicles. Who knows, a few years down the road car makers might start looking at fuel cells or hydrogen seriously. Might as well give them incentive to base whatever type of new car they’re gonna build here rather than wait and then talk again.
JUST DO IT………..!!
Malaysia always want to be the first in almost every thing. Unfortunately, it always ended up the last after sometime later. Like to sprint but lack of endurance. Really sad.
Malaysia Government: We are now DEAD serious wanted to bring import Hybrids, Electric Cars as distribution/assembly point in Malaysia.
Automakers: Remove you N.A.P. and Protong Protection Policy and your hideous absurd 300% tax on import brands, then we talk.
Malaysia Government: WT&%$#@!!! grrr.
Rakyat: Whatever “memorandum of understanding” it is, we Rakyat are still fuc* up!
last ditch for a real auto industry after failing with Proton for 25 years.
Does the Malaysian government think that the Thais would just sit and do nothing?
Dream on, this plan will never happen and if it did, the implementation will be bad just like other mega project – MSC…bla bla bla.
Another cari makan plan..Rakyat? your can go to garbage dump site for cari makan.