Proton, Perodua still meet criteria as national car makers - Miti

KUALA LUMPUR - The contribution of Proton Holdings Bhd (Proton) and Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) to the local automotive industry has enabled both companies to be still treated as national car manufacturers.

International Trade and Industry (Miti) Deputy Minister Liew Chin Tong, however, said the two car companies need to ensure that the criteria as outlined under the National Automotive Policy 2020 (NAP 2020) are adhered to.

"With the criteria laid out under the NAP 2020, any company other than Proton and Perodua that can meet those criteria is also eligible to be considered as a national car project and be given similar treatment," he said in a question and answer session at Parliament today.

He was answering Lee Chean Chung (PH-Petaling Jaya) who asked why Proton is still given various special treatments since it is no longer a national car.

Liew said that among the criteria for a Malaysian vehicle project are majority local ownership, a focus on developing the local supply chain, conducting local research and development (R&D) activities and providing job opportunities for the local community.

He said Proton has provided job opportunities for 8,500 with 99 per cent of them from the local community.

"Proton also appoints more than 180 Tier-1 local companies in its entire supply chain and the average value of local procurement is between 75 per cent and 80 per cent, especially for models that are fully developed locally,” he said.

Therefore, he said Miti will constantly monitor Proton and Perodua's compliance with the criteria that have been laid out and will update the policy from time to time in line with the development of the global automotive industry. - BERNAMA