US President Donald Trump cited Malaysia as a reference when unveiling his administration’s new policy on fuel economy standards.
In the announcement, Trump introduced looser Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, a move that critics see as a move to reinstate reliance on gasoline over electric vehicles.
He also said the administration is considering re-allowing the production of small compact cars in the US market.
Trump was referring to countries such as Japan, South Korea and Malaysia that have a large population of small cars, described as similar to the old Volkswagen Beetle in terms of compactness and fuel efficiency.
According to him, the small and simple vehicles are popular in several Asian countries but US manufacturers were previously not allowed to produce them under existing regulations.
Trump said he had ordered the Department of Transportation to expedite approvals to allow compact cars to be developed and marketed in the US again.
Trump is in Malaysia from October 26 to 27 to attend the 13th ASEAN-United States Summit and the 20th East Asia Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The visit also saw him attend the signing of the KL Peace Agreement
