Malaysia Local carmakers begin to explore electrification

Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is joining the race to launch hybrid passenger vehicles in Malaysia, with plans to bring in a hybrid version of its compact sport utility vehicle Ativa under a five-year leasing model.

Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd（Perodua）正在参加在马来西亚推出混合动力乘用车的竞赛，并计划在五年租赁模式下引入其紧凑型运动型多功能车 Ativa 的混合动力版本。

The carmaker is bringing 300 units into the market, with a one-time upfront payment and monthly charges of RM500, including insurance and maintenance.

这家汽车制造商将 300 辆汽车推向市场，一次性预付款和每月 500 令吉的费用，包括保险和维护费用。

Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking is also included, as part of an arrangement to help the company gauge user trends, Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad said at a press conference after a media event for the launch of Perodua Alza 2022.

Perodua 总裁兼总执行长Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad 在 Perodua Alza 发布媒体活动后的新闻发布会上表示，全球定位系统 (GPS) 跟踪也包括在内，作为帮助公司衡量用户趋势的安排的一部分2022 年。

"We are doing a feasibility study from many angles [including customer experience and] to see the applicability in high traffic situation.

“我们正在从多个角度（包括客户体验和）进行可行性研究，以了解在高流量情况下的适用性。

"... this is part of our study on connected vehicles, those who use this vehicle must agree that they are being monitored. We want to know whether this kind of monitoring will be accepted by the Malaysian public," he said.

“......这是我们对联网车辆研究的一部分，使用这辆车的人必须同意他们受到监控。我们想知道这种监控是否会被马来西亚公众接受，”他说。

Perodua has yet to manufacture the hybrid vehicle here, as the Ativa Hybrid will be a rebadge of the completely built-up model of the Daihatsu Rocky.

Perodua 尚未在这里生产混合动力汽车，因为 Ativa Hybrid 将是大发 Rocky 完全组装模型的重新标记。

To be sure, while other carmakers have brought in hybrid models, this is a first for Malaysia's national carmakers. Notably, Proton, too, has a road map to introduce hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, as well as potentially distributing fully electric vehicles by 2023, according to reports by local automotive news publications.

可以肯定的是，虽然其他汽车制造商已经引入了混合动力车型，但这是马来西亚国家汽车制造商的第一次。值得注意的是，根据当地汽车新闻出版物的报道，宝腾也制定了引入混合动力和插电式混合动力车型的路线图，并可能在 2023 年之前销售全电动汽车。

Race for EV charging up 电动汽车充电竞赛

Aside from hybrid models, tax incentives by the government are also spurring plans by Chinese carmakers and local suppliers to bring in cheap electric vehicles (EVs).

除了混合动力车型，政府的税收优惠政策也刺激了中国汽车制造商和当地供应商推出廉价电动汽车 (EV) 的计划。

This could cater to the mass market — note that existing EV imports are still seen as unaffordable even with the incentives provided.

这可以迎合大众市场——请注意，即使提供了激励措施，现有的电动汽车进口仍然被视为负担不起。

Commenting on the trend, Perodua's Zainal Abidin, however, sees little impact on Perodua's business for now.

然而，在评论这一趋势时，Perodua 的 Zainal Abidin 认为目前对 Perodua 的业务影响不大。

"From the product and engineering's point of view, these [cheaper EVs] will have limitations in terms of range, speed, comfort, or safety," he said.

“从产品和工程的角度来看，这些 [更便宜的电动汽车] 在续航里程、速度、舒适性或安全性方面都有局限性，”他说。

Perodua is also part of the government's task force to look at the total EV ecosystem in Malaysia.

Perodua 也是政府工作组的一部分，负责研究马来西亚的整个电动汽车生态系统。

Internally, it is also gearing up to adapt to the changing trends — such as expanding its research and development team to include software engineering as the company explores mobility as a service with the introduction of Ativa Hybrid.

在内部，它也在为适应不断变化的趋势做准备——例如扩大其研发团队以包括软件工程，因为该公司通过引入 Ativa Hybrid 探索移动即服务。

While charging infrastructure is an issue, for the carmaker the challenge will be on the manufacturing side, considering the lack of local expertise to develop key EV components — battery management system (BMS), motors, and inverters. More than 90% of Perodua's car parts are manufactured locally.

虽然充电基础设施是一个问题，但对于汽车制造商而言，挑战将来自制造方面，因为当地缺乏开发关键电动汽车组件（电池管理系统（BMS）、电机和逆变器）的专业知识。Perodua 90% 以上的汽车零部件都是在当地生产的。

"For Perodua, localisation is our priority. We will want our vendors to participate. The development of BMS must be in the country. Importing is not our spirit. [That is one reason why] it will take some time," Zainal Abidin said.

“对于 Perodua，本地化是我们的首要任务。我们希望我们的供应商参与。BMS 的发展必须在国内。进口不是我们的精神。[这就是为什么]这需要一些时间，”Zainal Abidin 说.