Third national car – MAI gets two proposals

> Auto institute CEO says more may come in, will wait till Monday before studying them

SHAH ALAM: Two automotive industry players have submitted proposals on the third national car project so far, the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) said.

CEO Datuk Madani Sahari said the agency will, however, wait till next Monday for all the proposals to be submitted before studying them.

“So far, we have received two proposals and we don’t know how many more would be submitted. We’ll have to wait until the Oct 15 deadline.

“We have not formed any expectation, as the invitation (for proposals) is open to anyone – any individual or company interested in submitting them. We will accept (any proposal),” he told reporters after attending a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between MAI and Proton here yesterday.

The agency was represented by Madani while the carmaker was represented by Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd CEO Li Chunrong.

Madani said MAI hopes that through the proposals submitted, local suppliers will get the opportunity to participate in the national car project.

“Their involvement will not only be in terms of auto parts supply but also engineering and design works for the product.

“It is my view that the implementation of the third national car project must offer a lot of benefits not only to the ecosystem but also the country’s economy,” he added.

On the MoU between MAI and Proton, Madani said it aims to optimise shared resources for developing suppliers of Proton parts and components to achieve global standards.

The pooling of resources involves several areas, including advanced design applications, digital process simulation and improved validation technology, he added. – Bernama