The H6 is set to arrive later this year.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's first Energy-Efficient Vehicle (EEV) manufacturing licence has been issued to Go Automobile Manufacturing Sdn Bhd in partnership with Great Wall Motor Co Ltd.



Great Wall is the largest producer of sports utility vehicles and pick-up trucks in China.



International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the partnership will produce EEVs at the plant in Gurun, Kedah, with a production capacity of 100,000 units by 2018.



The minister said the investment by both companies is worth RM2 billion and will be implemented in three phases.



"The first phase will start to produce EEVs as early as September this year, the second phase with production capacity of 50,000 units will start operation by mid-2015, while the final phase with annual production capacity of 100,000 units will be ready by 2018," Mustapa said at the licence handing over together with the launch of an automotive supplier programme.



The minister said the new investment will create about 4,000 jobs in Gurun.



This number, he said, is expected to be much higher if the positive effects of the investment on other relevant spin-off businesses in the area are taken into account.



The partnership plans to export 60 per cent of its production to other ASEAN countries, said Mustapa.



It will also establish a Research and Development (R&D) Centre in Gurun, for which RM500 million has been allocated, to focus on developing and enhancing the performance of the right-hand drive powertrain in order to achieve higher fuel efficiency and to further reduce carbon emissions.



These initiatives, he said, are aligned with the National Automotive Policy to see Malaysia as a base for EEV production and technology development.



EEVs will open up a new frontier for local technocrats, academia, R&D organisations and players in the entire supply chain to design and develop new products, processes and materials to fulfil the EEV manufacturing requirements, he said.



He said the partnership would deploy the factory-in-factory concept, in which selected vendors called the T0 (T-zero) vendors will produce the components and assemble them.



At this level, he said, the vendors are expected to be product-process design and engineering capable.



Go Automobile Manufacturing CEO Ahmad Azam Sulaiman when met after the launch said the company obtained the right to manufacture and distribute GWM selected models in all Asean countries.



In September, he said, Go Automobile Manufacturing will introduce the 1.5-litre Haval M4 and 2.0-litre Haval H6 cars to the local market at competitive prices.



He said dealership arrangements already exist in Thailand and Cambodia, to support the exports by the third quarter of this year. - Bernama