Malaysia bans low-cost EV imports

Malaysia has imposed stringent new import thresholds for fully assembled electric vehicles, reports Caixin. The move effectively blocks budget models from leading Chinese manufacturers including BYD.

Effective from July 1, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry mandated that any completely built-up EV imported into the country must have a declared customs value of at least 200,000 ringgit ($49,019) and a motor output of no less than 180 kilowatts.

The mandate strikes a direct blow to BYD and other Chinese manufacturers that rely on affordable models to capture market share. All seven BYD models currently sold in Malaysia have starting retail prices below the new customs value threshold. Entry-level models such as the BYD Dolphin and Atto 3 also fail to meet the power requirement, rendering them ineligible for import. Popular models from Zeekr and Chery Automobile face similar lockouts.