Perodua Targets 60% Localization for First EV as Malaysia Accelerates Electric Mobility

Malaysia’s national carmaker Perodua is taking the wheel in the electric vehicle (EV) era and with a local focus. At the Malaysia Autoshow 2025, Perodua President and CEO Zainal Abidin Ahmad announced that the company’s first electric model, the eMO will be locally assembled with more than 60% of its parts obtained from the country. This move underlines the government’s bid to build up local EV supply chains as Malaysia rapidly accelerates to greener transport. The EV is to hit the market by the end of 2025 at a price of below RM80,000 and one of the cheapest for Malaysians to purchase.

Perodua’s Localization Strategy

Perodua’s eMO will start production in October at the Selangor plant. At first, the EV will contain 30% local content, but this will be up to 60% in a matter of a couple of months. Although Perodua did not name specific suppliers, Zainal pointed out that their biggest challenge is to build local production for inverters, motors, and batteries. Perodua is already 95% local content for its traditional models including the Bezza, Myvi, and Axia, a testament to its home grown manufacturing.

Independently Developed Without Daihatsu

Just as previous Perodua models have been built, the eMO is being developed without the help of its long term Japanese partner Daihatsu. Rather, the company has partnered with the local universities for research and development. This is a major step towards domestic EV capabilities and away reliance from foreign partners.

Proton Says Second EV Targeted at Youth

At the same event Malaysia’s other national brand, Proton, brought its second EV, the e.MAS 5. This compact model is aimed at young drivers and first time EV buyers upon the Geely’s Star Wish platform. Proton’s first model eMAS 7 that entered in December 2024, sold 1853 units in Q1 2025 out-building China’s BYD in Malaysia and was targeting a 30% of market share.

Government Pushes EV Infrastructure

Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Aziz underlined the achievements of EV adoption in Malaysia. Almost 10,000 EVs were sold during Q1 2025 and they have added up to more than 43,000 electrified vehicles in the fleet. The country is scheduled to have 10,000 EV charging stations by the end of the year with over 4000 in operation.