ID :
86558
Wed, 10/28/2009 - 14:17
Auther :

FOREIGN FIRMS CAN MANUFACTURE LUXURY CARS LOCALLY, AP TO BE SCRAPPED BY 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Foreign firms will be given
manufacturing licenses to hold 100 per cent equity in firms which produce luxury vehicles with an engine capacity of more than 1,800 cc and costing more than RM150,000 (US$1=RM3.4) while the controversial Approved Permits (AP) system will be scrapped in 2015 under the review of the National Automotive Policy announced Wednesday.

Under the review announced by Minister of International Trade and Industy
Mustapa Mohamed, the import duties of all completely-built-up (CBU) and
completely-knocked-down (CKD) cars will be maintained.

Incentives and exemptions will be increased to develop local auto parts so
that there would no longer be parts imports by 18 months’ time, a move which
help do away with imported and used spare parts outfits.

Vehicles which are 15 years and above would also have to go through
mandatory testing to ensure their roadworthiness but provisions would be made
for vintage cars, he told a media conference to announce the long-awaited review
of the NAP.

He said that the review was undertaken after extensive discussions with
industry players including manufacturers, assemblers, auto parts makers,
non-governmental organisation as well as car associations.

Mustapa said that there were 18 new policies and measures covering
licencing, duties, incentives, technology and environment, safety and standards
and APs introduced under the NAP review.

New policies and measures would be effective from Jan 1, 2010.

Under the new measures new strategic partnership between Proton and a global
established Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) will be established.

Currently, Proton is in talks to establish strategic partnership with
international partners.

"Up to now, Proton has yet to find a strategic partner," he said.

Elaborating on APs, he said the AP system for imports of CBU vehicles will
be terminated whereby open APs for used vehicles will be terminated by December
31, 2015, which means importation of used vehicles using the AP permit would no
longer be allowed after 2015.

"No new applications for open APs will be considered and franchise APs will
be terminated by Dec 31, 2020," he said.

Mustapa said as part of ongoing efforts to help Bumiputera (son of soil)
entrepreneurs in the automotive industry, a Fund for Bumiputera Development will
also be established.

Besides this, he said that a charge of RM10,000 for each open AP will be
introduced as announced in the 2010 budget last week whereby under current
status, APs are issued for free.

A fund will be established to assist Bumiputera companies venturing into the
automotive and other related businesses, he said.

The government would also introduce a mechanism to prohibit the import of
used parts and components effective June 2011, said Mustapa.

Currently, imports of new and used parts and components were allowed without
any restrictions and might in some cases affect safety and environment, he said.

A new measure under the review of the NAP is the establishment of a
gazzetted price for imported used CBU motor vehicles by the Royal Customs, a
move designed to stop the under-declaration of imported used-cars and abuse of
the AP system.

Currently only prices for new imported CBU motor vehicles are gazetted for
the purpose of duty compilation, he said.

Mustapa also said that the review would maintain the freeze on
manufacturing licences (ML) for rebuilt activities.

"At the moment, new ML for rebuilt activities is frozen," he said.

He said that no equity condition is imposed for new ML under the revision of
NAP.

However, the review maintains current policy on contract assembly to utilise
existing excess capacity.

Mustapa said that the freeze on issuance of new ML will also be lifted for
selected segments include hybrid and electric vehicles, pick-up trucks,
commercial vehicles and motorcycles with engine capacity of 200cc and above.

Touching on the current rates of import duty and excise duties being
maintained, he said that currently, the excise duty for CBU and CKD vehicles
based on engine capacity was 75-105 per cent for passenger cars, 60-105 per cent
for multi-purpose vehicles and vans, 65-105 per cent for four-wheel drives and
20-30 per cent for motorcycles.

-- BERNAMA



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