MAI to be rebranded as Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), to expand scope and focus

MAI to be rebranded as Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), to expand scope and focus

The Malaysia Automotive Insitute (MAI) is being rebranded as the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii). The agency said the rebranding exercise, which was announced at its MAI Car of The Year awards show yesterday, will expand its scope as the focal point, coordinating centre and think-tank towards enhancing the competitiveness of the local automotive industry.

The expansion will add on coverage in areas such as overall mobility, including intelligent transportation systems and related services through adoption of robotics and the internet of things (IoT) to the institute’s portfolio.

“The advancement of automotive technology will create a convergence with overall mobility towards a higher degree of automation and connectivity. This is expected to spur greater cross-functional applications in advanced manufacturing and advanced IT, with robotics and IoT applications rapidly becoming a fundamental requirement particularly in achieving Industry 4.0 compliance,” said MAI CEO Datuk Madani Sahari.

“It is for this very reason MARii will be tasked to undertake the adoption of these two key areas to complement the development of the automotive industry,” he added.

MAI to be rebranded as Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), to expand scope and focus

Minister of international trade and industry Datuk Darell Leiking said that the expanded scope falls in line with current developments and future trends, and elaborated on the importance of finding new sources of value and growth through the convergence of new technologies.

“The world of production is undergoing unprecedented transformation mostly driven by Industry 4.0 technologies such as 3D printing, IoT, cloud computing, augmented reality and system integration,” he said

“Globally, the automotive sector is the main driver behind the implementation of robotics and IoT. This can be seen in both the automotive manufacturing and services sectors. Applications such as advanced driver assistance systems, driving management systems, camera technology and others that are equipped in modern cars will pave the way to create new businesses and job opportunities through connected mobility”, he added.

Leiking said that these areas would also be covered in the upcoming National Automotive Policy (NAP) review, which is set to be revealed next year. “The revised policy will cover the entire automotive ecosystem and be underpinned by the new elements of technology namely next generation vehicle (NXGV), mobility as a service (MaaS) and industrial revolution 4.0 including artificial intelligence (AI),” he said in his speech.

He said the government views the automotive industry as a significant and strategic contributor to the country’s economic well-being, contributing about RM40 billion, or 4% to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP). He was also encouraged by the strong performance in vehicle sales that have been recorded so far this year.

“For the period of January to September 2018, a total of 454,971 units were sold, an increase of 6.9% against 425,711 units in the same period last year. Trends have shown that the month of December has consistently recorded increased vehicles sales compared with November, mostly due to year-end promotions by the various car makers,” he said.

“This is expected to continue with the conclusion of two recent autoshows, the Kuala Lumpur International Motorshow 2018 (KLIMS), organised by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) and the Premium Auto Car Expo (PACE), organised by Paultan.org at Setia City Convention Centre last month. I commend the efforts taken by the industry in giving the consumers better choices, as seen in the great turnout at both shows,” Leiking added.

The COTY event, which saw the Peugeot 3008 taking home the 2018 COTY award, also saw prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad being named as the first recipient of the MAI COTY lifetime achievement award and MAA president Datuk Aishah Ahmad being honoured as the 2018 automotive personality of the year.

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Anthony Lim

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.

 

Comments

  • Environment is very important (Mario and Bros) on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:03 pm

    Hope the government will extend for Hybrid incentives and EEV incentives for vehicles. Without extension for Hybrid incentives and EEV incentives, when beginning from 2019 onwards,the car prices will be more expensive as end up, people will be buying diesel cars in which gives out much air pollution.

    As according to GE14 PH Manifesto says about reducing carbon emissions that makes the country more environmental friendly which is going to be greener. Why this is very important because if there are no Hybrid vehicles, EEV vehicles and electric vehicles on the road, many people will end up they buy diesel cars in which it is not safe for the people’s health. That is why we have to protect our environment and people’s health too.

    Anyway, please make the extensions for Hybrid incentives and EEV incentives for cars as soon as possible. Not only the vehicles for 1.6L and below will extend for EEV incentives and Hybrid incentives, especially the vehicles for 1.6L and above including luxury cars also needs to extend their EEV incentives and Hybrid incentives too. Lastly, we also hoped that the government will continue would continue the efforts in NAP 2014, which focused on energy efficient vehicles (EEV) and hybrid

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 336 Thumb down 74
    • Mat Yo on Dec 05, 2018 at 10:41 pm

      Close auto fight, Malaysia vs Thailand

      Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 83 Thumb down 2
    • thefact on Dec 06, 2018 at 8:29 am

      diesel cars? which models?
      Europe makes wont offer diesels.. our diesel is only Eu2m. euro 5 is not everywhere.. n the new B20 blend in euro 2m will only work for old massive smoking trucks.pickups.
      But first of all talking bout EEV and what not..

      Get the petrol to a Eu 5 first. that already reduces so much carbon footprint.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 13
      • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 06, 2018 at 10:14 am

        MAI is so slow until now they cannot even get us Euro 5 Ron 95 also

        And 90% of our Diesel lorries still use Euro 2M diesel.

        This basic also MAI cannot sort out, they want to do bigger things?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 29 Thumb down 1
    • Flip Flop MAI on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:08 am

      Malaysia don’t even have EV also, they want to do now robotics and semi autonomous vehicles now. I cannot understand our NAP policy. Too much of confusion in MAI. Better for MAI to close down.

      What happened to MAI directive that Government was moving towards EEV few years ago? That collapsed now because Hybrid and EEV incentive tax discounts went into the longkang.

      Many people suffered loss. Firstly Honda and Toyota spent billions to set up CKD facilities to make Prius, Insignt, Jazz and Civic Hybrids in MAlaysia. Now all went into longkang

      Rakyat also spent so much of money to buy hybrids to support Government. Now all got no RV because tax incentive taken away and EEV future is uncertain. So people scared to buy EEV cars.

      MAI, pls get your act together. Like lalang. Everyday change policy

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 37 Thumb down 2
    • Leonardo on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:26 am

      When you talk about diesel engines, you are still thinking of the engines in old buses and lorries, with thick black smoke.
      The latest diesel engines found in cars like Merc, BMW, Audi, etc are actually on par or even cleaner than petrol engines. Maybe you have not heard of Euro 5 diesel sold in Malaysia?
      Of course ultimately ZEVs or Zero Emission Vehicles would be the ultimate solution for now. But the Government must set the Road-map and policies to achieve this. It must start now. Not until the next GE.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
      • thefact on Dec 06, 2018 at 10:32 am

        but sadly these new diesels required euro 6 plus diesel and also ad blue addtives. these cant run here. this is seriously a pathetic country. Vision 2020 my foot by mahathir. cant even get basics right, but want to jump to electric.

        EEV (energy efficient vehicles) only will be successful if we have the good fuels.

        for goodness sake India is going for Euro 6 in 2020.
        This country is all about winning votes. and enriching pockets (case in point, electric car project).

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • peningpening on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:10 pm

    pusing kili pusing kanan, masuk lokang jugak

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 0
    • Pilihanraya Kalah Teruk on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:12 am

      Our National Car Proton collapsed because vendors and suppliers were overcharging Proton. This was found out by Li Chunrong in 6 months in his job.

      MAI always knew that suppliers and vendors, mainly all cronies, were overcharging Proton. But MAI kept quiet. For 20 years MAI let Proton be raped maximum.

      So what has MAI done to save our National car P1? They knew that kroni vendors and suppliers were cheating Proton but yet, they supported the whole eco-system of vendors and suppliers.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 0
      • Foreign CEO vs Local CEO on Dec 06, 2018 at 10:47 am

        It took a foreigner to save our P1 National car. Pity only a foreigner could save Proton. MAI and Proton CEOs also could not identify Proton was being cheated

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
  • Fikri Alif on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:17 pm

    Congrats to MARii & Datuk Madani , perhaps help from MIMOS for their auto design prowess

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 34
    • Same Same Now. Same Same Before on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:43 am

      Change name but still the same lembap and lazy people working in MAI.

      Apa bezanya?

      Like you take a old buruk car but you give it a new paint.

      Same same

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 0
  • 4G63T DSM on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    After all these years, what did MAI do? What contributions to the economy and technical developments have they successfully pioneered?

    Any?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 30 Thumb down 0
    • Nothing.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
    • krs189 on Dec 06, 2018 at 7:55 am

      MAI is just a balaci for Poodua a.k.a Toyota Pet Dog.

      All the incentive and automotive roadmap are to secure Poodua market share and killing Malaysian Brand Proton.

      The way they employed MAI boss son in Poodua is testament to that.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
    • tokmoh. on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:58 am

      They helped Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines automotive market got la.

      That stupid Madani open mouth say “we will be EEV hub”,next thing you hear car manufacturers will invest everywhere but here. Kek.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
    • Raymond on Dec 06, 2018 at 10:04 am

      Car safety priority.

      https://paultan.org/2015/09/02/only-7-9-buckle-up-stricter-enforcement-to-come/

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:38 pm

    This is the biggest joke ever. MAI never did anything for the automotive industry. Yet we keep the organisation going costing the tax payers over RM100 million per annum in MAI salary.

    Two important things MAI purposely closed an eye which was vital

    1) The abolishment of AP. Every year for the past 15 years MAI has been giving us all sorts of goreng on this. Malaysians cannot understand how 30 PEKEMA members can become billionaires at the expense of 30 million people suffering with super high car prices

    2) MAI never asked previous PM why he did not honour his promise to reduce car prices by 30%. MAI had 5 years to ask the previous PM about this promise, but they decided to keep quiet. In return, Malaysians now suffer the highest car prices in the world. Most people pay bulk of their salary to their cars because car prices are astronomical

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 5
  • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:44 pm

    Now MAI will need about RM10mil to RM20 million to change the sign boards, letter heads, stamps, web pages, paint all their vehicle logos etc etc.

    Why waste money? Isn’t it better to give that RM20 million to the poor?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 48 Thumb down 2
  • Azahan on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    MAI workers are the exactly same type as Putrajaya workers, they hardly do anything the whole day but demand high pay.

    Time to abolish MAI and get good hardworking people to run MAI.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 0
  • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    Bravo to MAI also because the past 20 years, Thailand has got hundreds of billion in USD investments from global car companies and global EV and battery companies

    Malaysia was the CKD capital ie Detroit of Asia in the 90s. But because of MAI and their inefficient attitude, all car companies made Thailand the Detroit of Asia.

    We lost hundreds of thousands of jobs besides RM trillions in investments

    Thank you MAI

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 2
    • p2macai on Dec 05, 2018 at 11:23 pm

      That’s tipu punya investment. How come thai cannot build own car until now? They only stay as assemblers like P2

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 19
    • kzm (Member) on Dec 06, 2018 at 10:02 am

      Well bolehland pipu don’t like made in bolehland car. Do you ever heard boleh CKD car quality suck, no prestige, import is better, import is more quality..
      Bolehland make many car in 90’s were contributed by Proton n Perodua. Where at that time more than ~90% were built by them

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 21
      • fake news. Every brand was CKD in Malaysia in the 90s. Ford, Mazda, Mercedes, Volvo, Toyota, Honda, Nissan etc etc

        You just say Proton and Perodua?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
        • kzm (Member) on Dec 06, 2018 at 3:37 pm

          Who say they don’t CKD? They did CKD some car but small number. fyi 1990 p1 produce 87k cars. Total TIV for that year is 106k..In 1995 p1 produce 158k n P2 around 40k out of 230k TIV

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • newme on Dec 06, 2018 at 8:14 am

    So is thie Marii supposed to cover my connected fridge and blender at home? Those are IoT too.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • AutonomationMan on Dec 06, 2018 at 8:34 am

    MAI is non-profit agency but the way of operation is like a greedy company. Ask the automotive company to set up their infrastructure, used national car worker to educate/consult vendor and supplier because MAI is not competent person/agency to developed the automotive industries. The only way MAI can help for industry is supply manpower, something like Jabatan Tenaga Rakyat. haishhh

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Facepalm on Dec 06, 2018 at 8:41 am

    So the new government is all about rebranding stuff and calling them their effort. Bravo.
    Of course there was an increase in 6.9%. People were buying cars earlier this year due to the 6% GST holiday. Doesn’t mean the local cars tech are suddenly getting so much better since this year. Where’s the effing promise to drop fuel prices and car prices?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Must survive on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:32 am

    Siapa mau MARI? Baik kita LARI!
    No tangible contribution to the local auto industry.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Menaven on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:42 am

    I’m from higher learning institution and I would like to thank MAI@MARii for their tireless effort by helping us in engaging with the auto manufacturing players in Malaysia.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
  • passion on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:58 am

    this is a redundant agency. CLOSE IT DOWN!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Mahathir, the father of Thaialand and Indonesia auto industry!
    Without him, Malaysia will be SEA automotive center.
    Now all run away!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • BasherLiveInToilet on Dec 06, 2018 at 11:21 am

    For all those who always bash, bash and bash. So proud of being a keyboard warrior yet you contribute nothing. Such a waste to the nation resources. You guys should just be in the ground 6 ft deep fast

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 7
 

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