What automotive policies would you add or remove from our wish list below?

Let’s be honest, Malaysia is by no means a good place for car enthusiasts, especially those who live simple lives and earn average salaries or below. This was a discussion I had with a friend who currently resides in the U.S and she agreed that some change would be good here. So, we decided to make a wish list here at DSF.

It is no secret that for many decades now, the Malaysian automotive policy has only been beneficial to the wealthy as they had the option of buying duty free cars and “storing” them in Langkawi to get the duties reduced over a year or so. This is not a luxury the average car buyer in Malaysia can afford.

Moreover, with 5 to 10 cars already in their ownership, the wealthy are able to ‘rotate’ their duty free luxury cars outside of Langkawi while the rest of Malaysians, the average car buyer pays a hefty import duty in full. In most cases, these Malaysians only have 1 car anyway so what other choice do we have?

This automotive scheme has enriched luxury car sales in Malaysia and kept luxury car prices low for a small group to enjoy. We already explained this process in this article here so do check it out to get a better understanding of why we think thee Government should remove duty free cars for Labuan and Langkawi.

On top of that, we would also like it if the Government would introduce import duties for premium electric vehicles (EVs) (say RM249,999 and above) about 25 percent or so as this ‘free tax’ which only benefits the high income earners and not the people who really need the help.

What’s more, we would like to see the Government start car scrapping for those who want to scrap their old car for a new one. Only if they buy a brand new EV, do they get this cash incentive though. A good example would be RM5,000 or so per unit.

We also want to see a change to the requirement for AP holders to only import cars 5 years or older. This way, new car manufacturers who are investing millions in factories in Malaysia will continue to invest and expand their factories. Lastly, we want Lemon Law to be introduced in Malaysia for new and also used car market just like in Singapore which will give higher protection for car buyers.

So, what do you think? As an average Malaysian car buyer, will you work with us to spread this news by sharing to as many people as possible to get the people in power to change the laws to benefit the majority of car buyers and not just the elite few?