PETALING JAYA: In conjunction with the Japan Day celebrations this year, UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) has made a donation of a Toyota Camry Hybrid to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

The vehicle will be used for technical research and development study by the researchers and students who are studying under the Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

The handover took place during the Japan Day 2017, celebrating 60 years of Japan-Malaysia Diplomatic Cooperation held at UTM in Kuala Lumpur.

It was witnessed by the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, and the Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr. Makio Miyagawa.

Also present were top officials from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia led by Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali, Chairman of UTM’s Board of Directors, Datuk Ir. Dr. Wahid Omar, Vice Chancellor, senior officials from various educational institutions and the top management of UMWT.

To signify the handover of the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Suichi Ishii, Executive Director, UMW Toyota Motor presented a mock key to Wahid who received it on behalf of the MJIIT, UTM.

”We are pleased to have the opportunity to donate a Toyota Camry Hybrid to MJIIT, UTM. This is in line with UMW Toyota Motor's Corporate Social Responsibility in social outreach, that involves the development of students,” said Akio Takeyama, Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor.

Under this project, the researcher and students will develop new system for future vehicle technology. MJIIT, UTM is the pioneer and the only research group working in autonomous vehicle research in Malaysia focusing on driving behaviour, advance driver assistance system and self-driving vehicle.

The research also has close collaboration with Smart Mobility Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. The Hybrid vehicle is best candidate for this project due to its large capacity of battery supply to the self-driving system.

The MJIIT, UTM began its activities in September 2011 based on the concept of establishing a Japanese-style institute of technology in Malaysia.

Offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in engineering, it uses a feature of Japan's engineering education known as the ’koza’ system.

MJIIT strives to become the engineering education hub in ASEAN and is expected to develop into the leading higher education institution in Asia.

Keywords