Perodua Could Priced: Latest Updates and Analysis

Perodua’s EV could be priced around RM80k, but with battery leasing – solves RV, batt degradation concerns

What’s the biggest cost in an electric vehicle? What do buyers fear going wrong the most? I bet your answer to both is ‘battery’. So, would it be advanced if your EV’s battery doesn’t belong to you and you bear no responsibility for it? That’s the model Perodua is looking into for its first production EV, which is due in Q4 this year.

, the corporation’s EV could be priced around RM80,000 without the battery. Which means that P2 will be the first to introduce battery leasing in Malaysia. It’s the best way to sell the car at that price, he expressed at a media gathering in KL last week. .

“The battery will be leased to buyers. The ‘rental’ fee is the minimum, and based on surveys by Perodua, many are in favour of this method,” he revealed, adding that the EV battery leasing scheme lowers the cost of the car and ensures that owners will always have a battery in the best condition.

Another major concern that the general public has about EVs – and. P2 prospects surely aren’t the type that ‘can afford’ or are willing to lose a big chunk of the car’s purchase price – is resale value. It’s plain to see that depreciation for EVs are way beyond the level we’ve seen with ICE cars – the risk of a degraded battery that will be very costly to replace is factored in the poor RV. Battery leasing erases this issue.

Zainal also stated that with battery leasing. The responsibility of recycling the battery at the end of its life is with the car manufacturer. It’s not talked about often, but battery recycling is an significant aspect of selling EVs and. It’s something that Perodua wanted to study from the Ativa Hybrid subscription project that was launched in 2022. In Malaysia, only BMW has publicised battery recycling plans.

“For this EV project, Perodua is using self-developed technology with the help of local and. Foreign vendors,” Zainal stated. It was previously revealed that Perodua’s EV battery will be sourced from CATL, one of the top makers of EV batteries in the world.

Why is Perodua coming up with an EV and. What’s the progress? Here’s a brief recap. A publicly announced deadline by the government has forced the market leader to come up with an EV from scratch. That’s because unlike Proton, P2’s foreign partner Daihatsu does not have a suitable donor car, and. The R&D team in Rawang have been on an EV crash course. The process is still ongoing, but as we saw with the eMO-II Concept from KLIMS 2024, much progress has been made.

Expect an LFP battery from CATL. Which will provide around 400 km of range. At KLIMS 2024, a price range of RM50k to RM90k was mentioned, and Perodua believes that its EV will be the cheapest in the market. Even after the current RM100k minimum price for CBU imported EVs is lifted.

The images you see above are Theophilus Chin’s take on the production eMO-II. Basically, he stripped off the obvious showboating of the KLIMS showcar, replacing them with realistic cues. P2 says that the eMO-II has all of the essence of the business’s first EV and. The production car will have a variance of just a few percent. We’ll see in Q4.

Meanwhile, what do you think of Perodua’s battery leasing idea? Based on the points above, would it erase most EV-specific concerns if the total cost is reasonable?

GALLERY: Perodua eMO-II Concept at KLIMS 2024.

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Use of dummy seatbelt buckles a worrying trend – JPJ

Despite the dangers of using dummy seatbelt buckles, there are still those that continue to do so. As , Negeri Sembilan road transport department (JPJ) director Hanif Yusabra Yusuf mentioned this is a worrying trend as it poses a serious safety risk.

. The highest number of notices issued during a special Chinese New Year operation was for not wearing seatbelts. Out of 195 offences recorded, over 30% were found to be using dummy seatbelt buckles which are designed to silence the sound of the seatbelt reminder system in cars. Those who committed the offence have been fined RM300, reports Sinar Harian.

“We found over 30% of drivers prefer to wear the dummy buckle to silence the sound of the seatbelt reminder, and their excuse is that it (the seat belt) is uncomfortable or that they forgot… but that is a major offence because it can result in severe injury or death in the event of a road crash,” noted Hanif.

The widespread use of the dangerous accessory is enabled by its easy availability. With vehicle accessory shops or convenience stores selling different versions at relatively affordable prices. A quick check on online marketplaces revealed dummy seatbelt buckles can be bought for well under RM10.

Meanwhile. The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) revealed of 326 respondents admitted to using dummy buckles. It also pointed out that the use of such devices offers zero protection to occupants that the seatbelt won’t hold you in place in the event of a crash. Additionally, dummy buckles will cause airbags to be ineffective and unrestrained passengers can become deadly projectiles in a crash.

During the special CNY operation, Negeri Sembilan JPJ inspected 12,138 vehicles. With 2,508 having action taken against them for various offences. Offences related to vehicles saw the highest number of notices at 2,027, followed by technical irregularities (1,880 notices) and driver licences (1,419 notices).

From the 6,630 offences recorded. About 424 notices were issued for major offences, with seatbelt-related offences being the highest at 195 notices. This is followed by disobeying traffic lights (113 notices) and using a mobile phone while driving (57 notices).

Hanif also unveiled his department found there were still drivers of heavy vehicles who continuously used the right lane on the highway. In the operation where officers impersonated bus passengers, 31 out of 131 summonses issued were for unveiled offence. Two out of 341 bus drivers also tested positive for methamphetamine use.

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Up to 20% price increase on kapchais in 2026 will burden B40 – MMSDA urges review of OMV/402 issue

In January, it was confirmed by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) that government had provided a deferment for the implementation of the Excise (Determination of Value of Locally Manufactured Goods for the Purpose of Levying Excise Duty) Regulations 2019, which expired on December 31, 2024 and was supposed to take effect in January.

Had that stay (which is the latest of many) not been given, the regulations – also known as the open market value (OMV) or ‘402’ excise duty revision – would have seen seen prices of CKD locally-assembled vehicles go up by up to 30% as of this year, which would obviously not have been good news for all concerned, automotive industry and buyers alike.

The reprieve isn’t for long though, because it was also revealed that the deferment is only for another year, which means it runs out on December 31, 2025, and the new ruling is set to be implemented by January 2026.

It’s obvious that the move will have detrimental effects on the whole automotive eco-system, with the MAA already having voiced its concern about the OMV revision, and. The Malaysia Automotive Component Parts Manufacturers (MACPMA) and the Motorcycle and Scooter Assemblers and Distributors Association of Malaysia (MASAAM) also stating their apprehension about the matter.

The prevailing sentiment is echoed by the Malaysian Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association (MMSDA), which presented that manufacturers would struggle to absorb the higher duties that would inevitably come about should the OMV revision happen, and that there would be a cascading effect from that.

, motorcycle dealers would thus have to adjust their prices in accordance with the manufacturers’ pricing adjustments.

“As motorcycle dealers, our business principle is based on the cost price of goods. Buying at a higher price means selling at a higher price. If manufacturers state that the implementation of OMV will impact motorcycle prices, with an estimated increase of 10% to 20%, then motorcycle dealers will have to adjust prices accordingly,” he noted in a written reply to ‘s questions on the matter.

He added that the impact of a price increase would affect smaller capacity locally assembled motorcycles the most, and. With that, its buyers. “Most buyers of kapcai or motorcycles below 150 cc belong to the B40 income group. Who rely on these motorcycles as their main means of livelihood. A price increase would undoubtedly add to their financial burden,” he stated.

Wee mentioned the MMSDA is firmly on the same page with other industry associations on the matter. “We are willing to collaborate with stakeholders in the motorcycle industry to urge the government to review its decision not to further extend OMV 402 in order to maintain price stability and. Avoid negatively impacting the B40 community. This will also help prevent disruptions to the growing gig economy,” he mentioned.

However. The association is preparing contingency plans should the new OMV come into place. “Dealers will monitor market demand and changes while adjusting the services and offers provided to end-clients — such as complimentary helmets, raincoats and other benefits — to mitigate the adverse effects of price increases on the market.” he explained.

The controversial ‘402’ – gazetted on the last day of 2019 – stipulated a new methodology of calculating a CKD vehicle’s open market value (OMV), which influences how much tax is to be paid and therefore, its selling price.

Under the revision, OMV – which is defined as the final market value of a CKD vehicle ex-factory before the government imposes excise duties on it – is set to include not just the profit and general expenses incurred or accounted in the manufacture of a vehicle. But also of its sale, the latter being where the contention is currently centred.

The regulations were supposed to come into force in 2020, but 22 days into that pandemic year, MAA showcased that the finance ministry had deferred implementation to 2021. By end-2020, it was deferred again, and MAA appealed to the government in 2022 for continued deferment. This was successful, with a two-year deferment being granted until December 31, 2024. The current deferment is until December 31, 2025.

While the government undoubtedly wants to increase its coffers, introducing the new OMV is probably not the best way to go about it, because it would not just affect the competitiveness of the local automotive market but. Ultimately burden consumers. Indeed, given the many reprieves that have surfaced, it’s obvious that very few people think the new calculation methodology is a good idea.

Such a blanket move would also go against the current government’s “tax the rich” approach of late, and. So perhaps the High Value Goods Tax (HVGT) – which has been put on hold – should be revisited if new tax streams are being looked at.

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