PROTECTION IS INEVITABLE

20 MILLION CAR OWNERS TO BENEFIT FROM CARBENGKEL MOBILE APPLICATION

Malaysian government through the national Automotive Policy (NAP 2014) & Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) have placed a high emphasis to improve and enhance the services in the automotive ecosystem for the benefits of the public. The NAP 2014 focusses to give consumers greater benefits that include costs transparency, enhanced level of repair and services with proper procedures and qualification of mechanics, spare parts standardization, insurance coverage and others.

NAP 2014 would fulfill the need to standardize the local automotive after-market industry, as this industry has a direct impact on the consumer. The NAP 2014 initiatives will assist to set proper systems to standardize all of the stakehoders in the after-market that includes workshops (independent or franchised), tyres and accessories shops, spare parts dealer (new and used parts) and car dealers.

Part of the initiatives taken by MAI for the automotive aftermarket is to support the car workshope to be more competitive, proficient and customer-centric. MAI initiative through its primary app MAGIS (MAI Automotive Garage Information System) and its complementary Carbengkel app for workshop enables workshop to compete in term of competitive pricing, fast service, better customer service as well as retention and transparency. 

A NATIONAL CAR FOR CAMBODIA

Last year, while I was in Cambodia for a different project, there was a discussion and proposal to re-badge and assemble Proton stable of cars as a Cambodia national car but Cambodia being a left hand drive, PROTON (previous management) mentioned that they were not interested until PROTON plant in China is completed (for the left hand drive market). Recently, a UK based automotive company, BWI Group signed a USD$2 billion Joint Venture to build a factory and manufacture Cambodia's own cars as a Cambodia National vehicle within the next three years.

I do not know if this was a lost to PROTON or otherwise but from the projected sales (by the signed JV Co) of 300,000 cars to be sold for domestic market, within ASEAN and globally... It should either be a market to be reckon with or probably an unrealistic projection? especially with a current demand of only 3,000 cars sold in Cambodia domestic car market according to Ford.

The Joint Venture was between The Kingdom of Cambodia, a Government-Link-Company ACICA Group (click HERE for details) and UK-based automotive company BWI Group (click HERE for further details). ACICA Board of Director was represented by 50% Malaysian but non were from the automotive industry (For details of ACICA Board of Directors, click HERE).