Made-in China electric cars might not be the answer
There has been a flurry of excitement on social media about electric cars. Still, there has been little enthusiasm about their selling prices, even with big import tax concessions, as electric cars are expensive to develop and produce.
So, right now, only rich Malaysians can enjoy tax-free electric cars, and the rest will still have to dream about owning one someday. Then came some sub-standard reporting from click-bait articles claiming the arrival of low-priced electric cars from China. A dozen or so brands were mentioned, and lower middle-class Malaysians got excited.
The first thing to understand is this. Selling an electric car is not like selling a smart TV, laptop or smartphone. You need to have a proper warranty and a dedicated high voltage service bay if there is an issue with the battery system or the electric motor.
You CAN NOT just import an electric car and sell it to less informed buyers and hope nothing goes wrong. Malaysians who might buy a low-priced electric car will most definitely take a 5 to 9 years car loan, and they need after-sales and parts. Electric car owners CAN NOT visit their regular petrol or diesel-powered car mechanic to look at the electric car. Even plug-in hybrid cars need authorizing dealer aftersales and maintenance, which is why they are depreciating fast in our market.
So, only current existing car manufacturers in Malaysia, like Nissan, Renault, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, KIA, and Hyundai, are investing in electric vehicles. Great Wall, Chery, and #smart is coming soon, and this is why they are currently advertising for staff online and looking at building proper battery check and maintenance facilities.
Also Read: The smart #1 may not be the EV you've been waiting for
Click-bait articles that mention China brands like Wuling, Changan and Seiyong are just ‘dreaming’ up news. These brands do not even have right-hand drive versions ready for sale and partnerships in Malaysia to provide import documentation and distribution.
Even the MG electric car, the ZS EV, has been rumoured to start selling here since 2020. This China-made EV is road tested and checked to ensure its battery cooling system is adequate for our humidity.
If you see low-priced electric cars from Chinese car manufacturers who have no after-sales and factory warranty on sale in Malaysia in the coming months or years, please do not be persuaded to part with your hard-earned money. You might have total junk in your garage in a few years.
Even the much-talked-about Great Wall Ora ES11 and Good Cat electric cars, which were spotted on test in early 2021, are still not on sale in Malaysia, despite having Haval Malaysia as the local partner and distributor. Testing is still being conducted for the cooling system and drive range battery life.
So, for now, you will have to either pay a high price for Mercedes, Hyundai, Nissan, Mini, or Volvo EV (these are the lower-priced models on sale) or just wait patiently for a Proton Edar to launch the #smart, which is rumoured to be priced around RM135,000 to RM148,000 or a Perodua EV to arrive.
Also Read: Tata Curvv, the latest entry into the electric vehicles space
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