The Ministry of Transport is expected to make an announcement regarding the much-anticipated revised road tax for battery EVs (BEVs) in Malaysia as early as tomorrow (Tuesday, 4-June 2024). Currently, Malaysia’s road transport department (JPJ) calculates the road tax – legally referred to as the Motor Vehicle License (LKM) fee - for BEVs based on their power output. This formula was first developed in 2009, for the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which produced just 49 kW (67 PS). However, BEV technology has

Governments in the US and the Europe Union claim that China is subsidizing the production of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to the point that there is no production excess capacity, leading to ‘dumping’ of Chinese BEVs in export markets. There is some truth in that claim, but like many complex subjects, a bit more nuances is required to give an honest answer. Despite accusations of dumping cheap BEVs overseas, world No.1 BEV and PHEV manufacturer BYD is selling its cars in export markets at fa

At the recently concluded 2023 Thailand International Motor Expo, which ended on 11-December, a total of 53,248 cars were sold, a massive 45% increase over last year’s figure. As expected, Toyota and Honda led the sales tally, making up 25 percent of total cars sold. What has become the talking point, is that Chinese brands – BYD, Aion, MG, Changan, GWM, and Neta – made up 43% of total cars sold. The Chinese invasion into Thailand, a stronghold of Japanese marques, is very real. BYD sold 6,119 u

You might be aware that Malaysia prohibits the import of electric vehicles (EVs) priced below RM 100,000, and this is indeed accurate. The rationale behind this policy, driven by the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI), is actually sound when you consider their goal of attracting investments in the EV sector. In the world of technology, most of the valuable stuff is in the higher-end product range. Cheaper electric cars have minimal technological sophistication; they're kind of li

The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) reported that the Chinese market sold 9.533 million new cars between January and June 2023. Out of these sales, a total of 2,093,000 cars were battery electric vehicles (BEVs), making China the world's largest EV market. While BYD retained its dominant position in the market with 524,184 BEVs sold, which accounted for 25.04% of the market share, Tesla’s Model Y was the best-selling model (not just BEV) in China for the first half of 2023 (H1 2023) with

Sisma Auto, a multi-brand premium automotive group, has recently opened the largest BYD sales, service, and spare parts (3S) centre in Malaysia, located in Glenmarie, Shah Alam. Built at an investment of RM 5 million, the outlet is a Class-A BYD facility. The 21,527 square-foot building features a 9-car showroom, as well as 16 service bays, suitable to serve 1,000 customers monthly, according to the company. Its expansive equipment includes advanced diagnostic tools as well as climate-controlled