KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The first locally assembled Omoda E5 electric vehicle (EV) developed by Chinese automaker Chery was unveiled to the public on Friday, marking a significant milestone in Malaysia's drive to push for wide adoption of EVs in the country.
The Omoda E5 is a B-segment SUV assembled at an assembly plant in Kedah state. It joins a range of other Chinese-developed and built EVs and hybrid electric vehicles from other major manufacturers, including BYD and Great Wall Motors (GWM) in the Malaysian market.
In his speech at the ceremony to unveil the car, Malaysian Investment, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Liew Chin Tong hailed Chery's efforts at localizing EV production, which will help upskill the local workforce and raise the value of the country's manufacturing sector through new technology.
"Chery should be congratulated for the fact that 99 percent of their assembly workforce here are Malaysians. The industrialization of Malaysia must mean better jobs and better pay for Malaysians. Whenever possible, we should automate more and use more technology," he said.
He also urged Malaysian stakeholders to expand their adoption of EVs as there is a vast customer base to unlock locally, citing China's success as an example, where new energy vehicles make up half of all automobile sales.
"Malaysia's adoption of EVs is significantly slower, even compared to our neighbors Thailand (12 percent), Vietnam (15 percent) and Singapore (18 percent). In 2023, Malaysia sold 799,731 cars, of which only 1.2 percent were BEVs (10,159 units). Yet Malaysia has a very sizable total industry volume (TIV) and highest per capita sales of cars in Southeast Asia," he said. ■