Is BN planning to abolish all and also Electric Car AP’s if they win this election?
In a recent statement, Barisan Nasional chairman, Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi said that if Barisan Nasional wins the coming General Election, one of the new policies that will be introduced is to remove the approved permits (AP’s) for electric vehicles in Malaysia.
As you might already know, AP’s or ‘approved permits’ are needed when any vehicle is imported into Malaysia.
These exclusive permits are given to a number of privileged individuals (PEKEMA) in Malaysia who import in reconditioned or used vehicles into the country which are then sold by them or in the case of some, they sold via ‘partnered used car dealers.
Now, these AP’s are issued by the Ministry Of Trade And Industry (MITI) and are only for Bumiputra businessmen to import in USED vehicles, not NEW vehicles.
Over the decades there have a been a number of AP holders who have become super rich and they have diversified their business ventures using their easy huge profits from selling used luxury cars and MPVs from Japan and United Kingdom (right hand drive nations).
The biggest change in the AP system came last year when MITI allowed these AP holders to sell brand new electric vehicles like Tesla and to sweeten the deal, the import duties on electric cars were removed (by MITI and Ministry Of Finance)) allowing these AP holders to earn generous profits together with their ‘used car partners’.
Now, it is strict rule that AP holders cannot use ‘non bumiputra’ used car dealers to sell their imported vehicles, but it happens very often.
Meanwhile, with this statement from the BN chairman on the removal of electric car AP’s to allow middle class and lower middle class Malaysians to buy and import electric cars freely, it points to a possibility that even the used petrol powered vehicle AP might also be abolished in Malaysia.
This will definitely be very welcomed by all the official car manufacturers and official car distributors in Malaysia who have never been in favor of the used car AP system which ‘eats’ into their sales.
Is this just a gimmick to get votes or is it a move by the Malaysian government to remove ‘AP Kings’ and allow Malaysian car buyers more choice and lower prices for cars, especially electric cars as their selling prices are high because of the added cost of the AP holder and more?
With electric cars gaining popularity very fast in Malaysia, we will have to wait and see of this statement will swing votes.
For us, it will not make a difference at all as we will buy an electric car from an official car manufacturer who offers full after sales and warranty unlike AP holders who do not.
