KUALA LUMPUR: Local automotive vendors are keen to collaborate with China’s suppliers in distributorship, technology transfer, joint venture, skill development and investment.
These intentions were expressed by 87 per cent of Proton vendors, who participated in the business matchmaking sessions held with Geely electric vehicle (EV) suppliers at the Geely Research Centre (GRI) at Hangzhou Bay during a visit to China in July.
The session was held in conjunction with the programme by Proton in collaboration with the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development (MECD), alongside two government agencies to bring suppliers of government-linked companies (GLCs) to attend the "Market Access, Technology Transfer & Vendor Enhancement Program” in China.
In total, 95 per cent of the participants were satisfied with the session that helped to identify potential partnerships and collaborations for EV component supply chains, Proton said in a statement today.
Organised by MECD and led by the Malaysia automotive Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) and Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF), the programme was conducted to accelerate the development of next-generation vehicles and battery-powered electric vehicles through strategic partnerships and technological exchanges.
It said 22 Malaysian vendors were brought to visit EV components plants, such as charger plants and stations, batteries and charger producers in seven places in China, including Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou.
These stops included Geely’s subsidiaries - EV manufacturer, Zeekr and EV battery and charger producer, VREMT at Hangzhou Bay.
"The partnership and tech exchanges during these visits are vital for strengthening our local supply chain, especially in EV components. This effort supports the National automotive Policy (NAP2020), positioning Malaysia as a leader in the region’s EV industry,” said MARii chief executive officer (CEO) Azrul Reza Aziz.
In a separate trip to China a month earlier, Proton said it previewed upcoming models and design concepts to gain more insights on the development work done by the design team in meeting local and global market needs.
"Proton’s recent trips have demonstrated a strong commitment to product innovation and a strategic approach for introducing new models both locally and globally.
"This underscores the need for increased collaboration and technology exchanges to ensure the long-term resilience of the automotive sector in Malaysia and to accelerate progress towards these ambitious goals,” said Proton CEO Li Chun-rong.
