In a joint press conference today, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry has announced that local engineering company DreamEDGE has been appointed as the anchor company for the new national car project. The ministry has also revealed that the new project will be supported by the established Japanese automotive company, Daihatsu.
The new car apparently will be fully designed and developed by local engineers as DreamEDGE will be responsible for its upper body, interior, and human-machine interface. The company will also be looking after its noise, vibration and harshness factor, as well as ride and handling, while Daihatsu will contribute in terms of advanced technologies.
According to the timeline revealed at the press conference, the company aimed to unveil the first prototype of the new national car in March 2020. Subsequently, the finalized model will be launched a year later which is surprisingly rather quick for such a major project.
That being said, DreamEDGE is planning to manufacture the car via existing plant through contract manufacturing although the company didn’t provide specific details. The company has also stated that the car will be a hybrid sedan.
(Source: Ministry of International Trade and Industry (pdf) / Paul Tan / Careta. Logo: MY National Car.)
