By the end of this year, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (PERODUA) will launch their first electric vehicle (EV) model with an official name.
Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad said that the EV model, priced below RM80,000, will enter the final production phase this October.
PERODUA is targeting EV production of 500 units a month at its new factory in Rawang, Selangor during a press conference at the Malaysia Autoshow 2025 yesterday.
Zainal commented that the EV will use local components for critical parts, with a target of 60 percent local component rate, thus targeting young people and small families in their market.
The EV vehicle is also equipped with a 60 kW DC fast charging system with a battery life of around 9 years, and the vehicle even includes a special identification system for safety monitoring purposes.
Zainal expressed his view to ensure that there will be no significant depreciation unlike other EV vehicles which depreciate due to concerns about battery performance after eight years.
Users can change the battery for a price below RM80,000 with the replacement process only taking around 30 minutes at PERODUA service centres which are equipped with a special system.
Zainal added that PERODUA is looking into the battery replacement service model as an added value for users.
He also reviewed the 'battery passport' system introduced by the government which offers a two-minute battery replacement method that only requires registering and automatically matching the battery and vehicle.
In conclusion, PERODUA believes they are able to expand the market by producing more new car models and equipped with flexible mobility systems in the future.