Exports are not an impossibility for the QV-E, but rather than simply shoving them on to a ship bound for an island nation or two, Perodua is thinking of something quite different this time. After all, the P01A’s intellectual property (IP), platform included, is completely Sungai Choh’s, so the world’s pretty much its oyster – it doesn’t have to worry about stepping on anyone’s toes.
Still, it’s not quite something Perodua can do single-handedly. “If we’re going to export the QV-E, we would definitely need assistance – not specifically from the government or any other side, but from governments that will accept it,” president and CEO Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad said in a Careta video interview.
“For example, say I want to export it to the Middle East – a country in the Middle East without a national car policy – and they’re interested in developing their automotive industry, and at the same time interested in establishing a factory, using our QV-E as a base. That’s how we are planning our strategy.”
The specific Middle East mention is almost too convenient for coincidence. Iran Khodro (IKCO), Turkiye’s Togg and Egypt’s Ramses (1960s) come to mind as existing examples, but can anyone think of a country there lately eager to have their own national car?
Why not Indonesia, who has wanted a national car for so long? “Indonesia is also something we want to study, but we understand that their latest (national car) partner is Chinese. We also want to go and enquire. It’s difficult to enquire directly, so we will do so through their suppliers, particularly battery suppliers,” said the president and CEO.
At last year’s Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS), we saw no fewer than three ‘national cars’ – Aletra, Polytron and i2C. The first two are the result of Chinese partnerships; i2C’s donor car has not been officially disclosed.
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