Mercedes-Benz to start making EVs in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Mercedes-Benz has strengthened its foothold in Malaysia with the local assembly of its popular car models, including the A-Class and GLA. Now, the German luxury carmaker aims to go one step further as it plans for assembling the EQ models locally.

It is to note that the company has just started its EV journey in Malaysia with the launch of the EQS. The electric SUV is based on the GLA and is currently imported from Germany. During its launch event, the head of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sagree Sardien confirms that the company is committed to manufacturing electric cars locally sometime in the future. However, she did not put a timeline on that while stating the EQA 250 will continue to be offered as a CBU model for now.

"Today marks an important milestone for us at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia. We are committed towards our claim to lead in electric with a holistic well-rounded approach towards a sustainable tomorrow starting with the introduction of the EQA," she added.

MBM is focussing on strengthening its association with Petronas Dagangan Bhd for its comprehensive EV infrastructure strategies to be ready for fulfilling the needs of future mobility. 

"It is our top priority to kickstart this journey towards an electric future by working with the right partners to achieve future mobility as we gear up to implement our EV readiness and sustainability efforts. Through our continuous partnership with Petronas and our CSR outreach programmes, education will play a vital role in making this future a reality," Sardien added.

The company has also set a target of opening 13 new DC fast chargers in strategic dealer locations nationwide that will further push the brand’s electrification plans. 

These will be mainly installed in Peninsular Malaysia allowing EQ customers to charge their EVs at no cost till Dec 2023. For this, the Mercedes-Benz EQ owners will just have to pre-book the time slot for charging via the JomCharge app. However, the owners of other electric cars will have to pay the charging price as applied.

Also read: Mercedes-Benz GLB updated for 2022 in Malaysia