Electric VW models in Malaysia: VPCM's plans pending government EV policy
Jason ยท Jul 16, 2021 05:00 PM
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At today's official launch of the 2021 VW Arteon R-Line facelift, WapCar.my had a chance to catch up with Erik Winter, Managing Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) and get his thoughts on the marque's plans in Malaysia, moving forward.
On the topic of what are VPCM's plans with regards to introducing electric vehicles (EVs) in Malaysia, which was posted by WapCar.my, this is what he had to say:
"This is a hot topic in Europe and China. Market share of EVs are on the rise. As you can see, VW already has the ID.3 and ID.4 range of EV models, with more coming. VW has invested a lot in e-mobility and battery factories.
"VPCM is closely monitoring development of EVs worldwide and also in Malaysia to see what incentives and polices will be introduced." This is of course, in reference to the Malaysia EV policy, which is expected to be announced later this month.
Winter added, "Currently there's no concrete plan. It really depends on incentives and policies from the government in terms of pricing and infrastructure."
On a personal level, Winter would be excited to bring the ID range of EVs to Malaysia. He has driven the ID.4 himself and he thinks highly of it.
Currently, EVs are subject to a 10 percent excise duty. And because they're still fully-imported, prices of EVs remain high in Malaysia. For example, the MINI Cooper SE, fully imported from the UK, retails for RM 217,470.
Could we really see VW EVs prowling the streets of Malaysia? Now that would be something.
Jason's foremost passion is all things automotive, where he spent his formative working years as a Product Planner and Trainer. An Advanced Driving Instructor by training and an all-round enthusiast, Jason loves going into intricate details about driving dynamics. Will drive anything with 4 wheels and a steering.