INVESTMENT, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the government had no intention of phasing out the approved permit (AP) system for car imports. 

He said the system was still in effect even though the government is allowing Tesla Inc., a global electric vehicle (EV) maker, to sell cars in the country without following the usual AP rules. 

“We are not discussing that (abolishing the AP system) yet, (there is) no intention at this point in time,” he told reporters after officiating the Proton Global Investors and Vendors Convention 2023 today. 

The government had previously announced that Tesla was the first approved applicant of the BEV Global Leaders initiative by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), which aimed to boost electric vehicle battery (BEV) demand in the local market and promote development of the entire ecosystem to support BEV adoption. 

“The AP is still there. What we have announced is (that) we want them (companies) to bring the technology in,” Tengku Zafrul said. 

“We are consistent not just to Tesla, but to whichever brings the value that Tesla can bring; we are going to treat it consistently. It’s not exclusive for Tesla,” he explained. 

Last Friday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the collaboration between the Malaysian government and Elon Musk, the founder and chief executive officer of Tesla and SpaceX, would create tens of thousands of skilled job opportunities in the country. 

He said Musk, during their 25-minute virtual meeting, had agreed to make significant investments in Malaysia, including setting up Tesla’s headquarters in Cyberjaya. – Bernama, July 17, 2023.