Proton, the Malaysian state-owned automaker which also owns Lotus, is currently working on a hybrid vehicle which it hopes to bring to market in two to three years. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has already driven the car, and he's pushing Proton to get it ready as quickly as possible. Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Managing Director at Proton, says, "It is too early to talk of introducing a hybrid car in the local market. I can only say that we are looking at this possibility in two to three years time before we go into mass production." Although the Malaysian government would like to see the automaker act, the fact is that Proton doesn't quite have the know-how in-house to get the job done properly, especially with lithium ion batteries. For that reason, the automaker has contacted Bosch for assistance in getting its first hybrid model out the door.

[Sources: Bernama.com, AFP via Yahoo]

Malaysian automaker Naza – they of the Sutera supermini and rebadged Kias - announced it will soon bring the first Malaysian hybrid vehicle to market, according to The Edge Daily. The company's Ria (rebadged Kia Carnival) and Citra (rebadged Kia Carens) models will get the hybrid feature. But don't look under the hoods for a large battery pack, these hybirds aren't HEVs, but dual-fuel option vehicles. The "hybrid" comes from the ability to use both petrol and natural gas in the vehicle. It took Naza about six months to develop the natural gas technology for the cars, and the company is saying the benefit to consumers will be reduced fuel savings costs. Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Bhd will be installing natural gas facilities at 200 of its petrol stations by next year, up from 42 stations today.

Don't worry if you were misled about the definition of hybrid in this story. We first heard about the Naza hybrids from the Electric Drive Transportation Association, a group not known for promoting natural gas vehicles. I think the word "hybrid" was all they needed to pass along the information.

[Source: The Edge Daily via EDTA]

(typo edited)

Malaysia is fast becoming the nation to watch when it comes to alternative fuels. After sending a large shipment of biodiesel to Germany and the country's commitment to biodiesel in general, what else can we expect from the South East Asian country? Well, now the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has said the country's automakers needs to build more hybrid cars and other alternative fuel vehicles. The reason, as always, is high gas prices. The Prime Minister said that, "Under the 9th Malaysia Plan, the Government has outlined the need to encourage the use and development of sustainable and renewable energy resources", the Malaysian newspaper The Star reported. The hybrid in question will be assembled locally by Johor-based LM Star Autoworld Sdn Bhd and offer 50 percent fuel savings with a new technology called hydroxene, The Star wrote. I was skeptical of this gasoline-water hybrid news when I first heard of it the other day, but if the country's Prime Minister is involved, it can't be a total snow job, can it? The Prime Minister commended the automaker's plan to export eighty percent of the hybrids it builds.

[Source: The Star]