SERDANG, May 8 — The New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and the National Automotive Policy (NAP) 2020 have helped develop Malaysia’s automotive industry to become the second largest in Southeast Asia, said Investment, Trade, and Industry (Miti) Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
He said it is also the 23rd largest globally, with an industry volume (TIV) of almost 817,000 units in 2024.
Tengku Zafrul noted that the contribution of electric vehicles (EVs) to the TIV has grown steadily over the past few years with support from Miti agencies, including Malaysia Automotive, the Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), SIRIM, the Housing and Local Government Ministry, and the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra).
“Firstly, the MARiiCAS E-bike Programme has seen an encouraging uptake — from 2024 to the first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025), 8,658 applications have been approved, with total rebates amounting to RM20.8 million.
“Secondly, infrastructure-wise, as of March 31, 2025, there are 4,161 EV charging stations nationwide (2,857 AC chargers and 1,304 DC chargers),” he said during the launch of the Malaysia Autoshow (MAS) 2025 today.
Additionally, the government remains committed to its target of establishing 10,000 EV charging stations by the end of 2025, particularly with the support of key players like Petronas’ Gentari.
“Malaysia now has a fleet of 43,572 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the road — a total of 9,880 electric and hybrid vehicles were sold in 1Q 2025 alone,” Tengku Zafrul said.
Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said Perodua has completed the development of its EV model, with testing beginning on April 24, 2025, and the company is on track for its EV commercial production by the end of 2025.
“In fact, several Malaysian car enthusiasts have apparently spotted Perodua’s first EMO (Electric Motion Online) being tested on Malaysian roads a couple of days ago, just five months after the emo-II concept was shown at another motor show.
“Images of the hatchback have surfaced all over social media, camouflaged in a black-and-white doodly design,” he said.
Tengku Zafrul added that Miti remains steadfast in its commitment to further advance Malaysia's automotive industry, whether by attracting high-value investments or in developing a sustainable automotive ecosystem holistically.
Held for the third consecutive year, MAS 2025 featured 200 exhibitors and over 500 vehicles.
— Bernama
