KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's Perodua announced Monday that it has launched its first battery electric vehicle named QV-E, as part of the national car company's agenda to develop a sustainable electric vehicle ecosystem.
The firm said in a statement that the QV-E costs 800 million ringgit (194 million U.S. dollars) to develop and is produced at Perodua's newest manufacturing facility.
"For now, we are able to produce 500 units a month, but we would be able to offer 3,000 units a month by the third quarter of 2026," its president and chief executive officer Zainal Abidin Ahmad said.
Under Malaysia's New Industrial Master Plan 2030 unveiled in 2023, Perodua was appointed to lead the local automotive manufacturers in developing the electric vehicle ecosystem.
Perodua said the firm is actively working with local vendors to localize the components to over 50 percent by early 2026 and to 70 percent by 2030. ■
