Industry stakeholders gathered in Malaysia at the BitAuto Malaysia Automotive Forum 2026 to discuss vehicle sales, customer engagement and the adoption of new-energy vehicles in Southeast Asia's automotive market.

Hosted by BitAuto Tengyi Malaysia, the forum concluded at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur on June 30th under the theme "Integration & Symbiosis: Driving Malaysia's New Automotive Growth". The event brought together Malaysian automakers, Chinese electric vehicle brands expanding internationally, international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), dealer groups and industry specialists. Discussions focused on developments within Malaysia's automotive market and cooperation between the automotive sectors of China and Malaysia.

Key attendees included executives from GWM Malaysia, Chery Corporate Malaysia, Proton New Energy (Pro-Net), SGMW, JoyStar Dealer Group, TQ Wuling Manufacturing and the Official TANK Owners Club Malaysia, alongside representatives from Zeekr, Leapmotor, BMW, Toyota and 212 Motors.

BitAuto outlines Malaysia strategy

Opening the forum, Li Wei, Vice-President of Tengyi Technology and Director of BitAuto Malaysia, presented the company's strategy for its operations in Malaysia.

According to Li Wei, Malaysia was selected as BitAuto's first overseas market based on four factors: the country's stable automotive market size, increasing electrification, electric vehicle growth potential and continued government policy support for the industry.

He stated that Malaysia's automotive sector is undergoing structural expansion. Li Wei also introduced Bitauto.my, an automotive platform designed to support the customer journey from vehicle research to purchase.

The platform includes information on more than 85 marques, 550 vehicle models and over 1,300 variants. Features include high-definition vehicle galleries, 360-degree virtual-reality vehicle viewing, multi-model comparison tools, real-time pricing information and promotional offers from authorised dealers.

Panel examines localisation and xEV adoption

The first panel discussion, moderated by Chen Hao, Vice-President of Tengyi Technology and Editor-in-Chief of Autoreport, focused on the theme: "Driven by Consumer Demand: Long-Term xEV Growth with Breakthrough Strategies Rooted in Localisation, Charging Infrastructure and Omnichannel Content Marketing."

The panel featured Michael Chew of Chery Malaysia, Edward Wong of SGMW, Oscar Wang of JoyStar Dealer Group and Dato' Seri Paduka Prof. Dr. Steven Leow of the Malaysia TANK Owners Club.

Local integration discussed

Participants agreed that Chinese automotive brands entering Malaysia should focus on local integration rather than solely exporting vehicles into the market. Michael Chew referred to Chery's global philosophy of "In Somewhere, For Somewhere", stating that growth requires the development of local manufacturing, supply chains and talent ecosystems.

From the dealer perspective, Oscar Wang noted that Malaysia is primarily a replacement market in which buyers frequently trade in existing vehicles. He stated that Chinese manufacturers need to offer competitive pricing and specifications to attract consumers.

Fuel subsidy changes and electrified vehicle demand

The panel also discussed the impact of Malaysia's fuel subsidy policies on vehicle purchasing trends. Oscar Wang stated that repeated revisions to petrol subsidy programmes have increased consumer concerns regarding fuel costs, contributing to increased demand for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

According to Wang, some Chery dealerships now record PHEV models accounting for more than 99% of total sales. Michael Chew added that long-distance demonstrations, such as a 1,400km journey between Beijing and Wuhan completed on a single tank of fuel, help improve consumer confidence in PHEV technology.

Charging infrastructure and customer confidence

Panel participants agreed that the development of charging infrastructure requires collaboration among automakers, dealers and government agencies. Michael Chew described charging network expansion as a challenge requiring coordinated action across the industry.

Edward Wong explained that Wuling is working with Tan Chong Group to support local infrastructure development initiatives. Dato' Seri Paduka Prof. Dr. Steven Leow highlighted the role of long-term user experiences and community feedback in influencing consumer perceptions of Chinese automotive brands.

Future plans

The forum was BitAuto Malaysia's first large-scale industry event since the company established operations in the country.

BitAuto Malaysia stated that it intends to continue enhancing the functionality of the Bitauto.my platform and supporting automotive brands and dealers through solutions focused on brand awareness, user development and sales conversion.