Two proposals, so far, on the third national car project

SHAH ALAM: Two automotive industry players have submitted proposals on the third national car project so far, the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) said.

Chief Executive Officer Datuk Madani Sahari said the agency would, however, wait till next Monday for all the proposals to be submitted before studying them.

“So far, we have received two proposals and we don't know how many more would be submitted. We'll have to wait until the Oct 15 deadline.

“We have not formed any expectation, as the invitation (for proposals) is open to anyone, any individual or company interested in submitting them. We will accept (any proposal),” he told reporters after attending a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between MAI and Proton here today.

The agency was represented by Madani while the carmaker was represented by Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Li Chunrong.  

Elaborating further, Madani said MAI hoped that through the various proposals submitted, local suppliers would get the opportunity to participate in the national car project.

"Their involvement will not only be in terms of auto parts supply but also engineering and design works for the product.

“It is my view that the implementation of the third national car project must offer a lot of benefits not only to the ecosystem but also the country's economy,” he added.

Last month, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Darell Leiking invited players in the automotive industry to submit proposals to the government by Oct 15 on the new national car project.

In June, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced his ambition of launching a new national car brand to replace Proton, which he said was no longer a national car following the sale of almost half of the shares in Proton Holdings to foreign carmaker Geely.

On the MoU between MAI and Proton, Madani said it aimed to optimise shared resources for developing  suppliers of Proton parts and components to achieve global standards.

The pooling of resources would involve several areas, including advanced design applications, digital process simulation and improved validation technology, he added. - Bernama