Malaysia’s third national automotive project made further progress last week when it was presented to the federal government’s recent economic planning committee. Plans call for the primary model to enter production by 2022.
The National Development Council (NDC) met for the primary time on November 28 to debate proposals to launch a brand new automotive manufacturing company in addition to the long-stagnant Cyberjaya development, which was envisioned as Malaysia’s Silicon Valley twenty years ago.
Sources told The Straits Times that the brand new vehicle can be equipped with cutting-edge technologies, including autonomous navigation and an eco-friendly powertrain.
There are hopes the automotive can be a catalyst to lift Cyberjaya from being a satellite town of the executive capital Putrajaya to change into a technology hub.
Economy Minister Azmin Ali told reporters on Monday that “we’ll make the prototype available to the general public next yr” and that “the most important goal is to reinforce the engineering capability of Malaysians and construct a brand new ecosystem that may be very much committed to innovation and technology.”
According to The Straits Times, the proposal submitted to the NDC — a brand new committee chaired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and comprising representatives from key economic ministries reminiscent of Finance, Economic Affairs and Enterprise Development, in addition to the prime minister’s recent economic advisor, Dr Muhammad Abdul Khalid — envisages the unit being operational by 2020-2022.
“While the federal government has said it should not fund the brand new automotive, using it as a springboard to revitalise Cyberjaya as a technology hub would entail the potential for introducing incentives reminiscent of tax breaks and subsidies,” an official source told The Straits Times.
Cyberjaya was launched in 1997 to spearhead the Multimedia Super Corridor and “enable Malaysians to leapfrog into the Information Age,” Tun Dr Mahathir said on the time. Dr Mahathir served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003.
But as a substitute of high-tech innovation, the town about half-hour south of Kuala Lumpur is home mostly to students and support service and call centre employees as businesses reap the benefits of low rent and web access, in addition to tax breaks.
There is loads of interest from the private sector in producing the brand new Malaysian automotive. At least 24 offers have been received.
Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry Ong Kian Ming told The Straits Times the list had been “narrowed down but no final decision has been made” on which team would work on the ambitious project.
The idea for a brand new national brand was unveiled by the prime minister just weeks after returning to power following the May 9 election. However, it has been widely criticised by critics who fear a repeat of Proton, the national automotive project that has cost taxpayers tens of billions of ringgit in tariff protection and bailouts since its inception in 1983, in the course of the early years of Dr Mahathir’s first term.
Source : Strait Times
