Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua), Malaysia second national carmaker, is looking to participate in a new national car project being planned by the Malaysian government, according to local reports.
Perodua chief executive officer Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said his company had held talks with the Malaysian government on supporting a third national project, suggesting it had sufficient spare capacity to take on production – even on a contract basis.
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Since the return of prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to power in May 2017, the Malaysian government has been looking to launch a new national car project which is likely to involve local production of electric or plug in hybrid vehicles.
Before he resigned from his post in February of this year, the 95 year old former prime minister said a prototype for the third national car had already been completed by local engineering firm DreamEdge, and the government was looking for private investors to take on the project.
The unveiling of the prototype was scheduled for March but this was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at a summit between Perodua, the Perodua Suppliers Association, the Perodua Dealers Association, the Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) this week, Datuk Zainal said a new car project could benefit significantly from Perodua's well established supply chain.
He added "Perodua has made a proposal to the Malaysian government on its vendor system which could be beneficial to the project".
