The Malaysian government is evaluating the national automotive policy, which may cover imposing conditions on the import of foreign vehicles.
Today, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stated in Parliament that while the government agrees with the standard of free trade, other countries worldwide impose conditions for their own industry.
He mentioned the example of European emission standards, that define acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new automobiles.
He stated: “But here, any cars produced, even those made out of Milo tins can enter the Malaysian market, so it is very open.
“Any car producer can enter our markets – that is the problem we are facing.
“As such we are looking into imposing certain conditions to prohibit cars from (arbitrarily) entering local markets.”
This will permit brands like Proton to capture the regional market, stated Dr Mahathir, answering a question from Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who asked for elaboration on the government’s strategy on a third national car project.
Dr Mahathir stated the national automotive policy would also be evaluated to ensure that regional national car producers such as Proton and Perodua remain competitive.
He also stated that the auto industry is important for a nation’s growth and that a new national vehicle project would help increase Malaysia’s engineering capabilities.
