Malaysia PM Anwar launches Perodua’s first EV at $25k, excluding battery
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The QV-E uses a lithium iron phosphate battery (52.5kWh) and has a range of up to 445km, depending on driving style, temperature and road conditions.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM PERODUA/FACEBOOK
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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian auto manufacturer Perodua has launched its first battery electric vehicle – the QV-E – as part of plans to develop a sustainable EV ecosystem.
The QV-E, which stands for “Quest for Visionary Electric Vehicle”, is priced at RM80,000 (S$25,160) without insurance and excluding the battery.
At the launch, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was touched by the quick progress of the project.
“I am very proud,” he said on Dec 1. “It is not just about the EV launch, but that it was made possible through the intelligence, discipline and hard work of our local talent,” added Datuk Seri Anwar.
The car will use a lithium iron phosphate battery, offering up to 445km of range. The battery will be leased to customers under a concept known as “battery as a service”.
“This concept is our solution towards reducing anxiety when owning a battery electric vehicle,” chief executive officer Zainal Abidin Ahmad said. “By offering this service, we will be able to offer a lifetime guarantee on the battery for our customers’ peace of mind.”
The vehicle cost RM800 million to develop and will be produced at Perodua’s newest manufacturing facility. Initial output will be 500 units a month, with an aim to increase production to 3,000 a month by the third quarter of 2026, Mr Zainal said.
Perodua is the second Malaysian carmaker to unveil an EV. Proton, which is 49.9 per cent owned by China’s Geely Automobile Holdings, announced its own EV brand in June 2024.
Proton’s e.MAS 5 is the cheapest EV model in Malaysia, with a starting price of RM56,800.
EV penetration in Malaysia is growing, with registrations in the first 10 months of 2025 coming in at 40,679 vehicles, versus 28,048 for all of 2024. Malaysia aims for electric cars to make up 15 per cent of total sales by 2030 to help it achieve its ambition of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Perodua is working with domestic vendors to localise the EV’s components to more than 50 per cent by early 2026, and to 70 per cent by 2030.
Perodua, formally known as Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua, is 38 per cent owned by UMW Holdings, a unit of Sime Darby. Daihatsu Motor has a 25 per cent stake in the carmaker, while Mitsui & Co owns a 7 per cent interest. BLOOMBERG
