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Early September 2025 saw Proton—49.9% owned by China’s Geely—launch its first EV assembly plant in Malaysia’s Perak Automotive High-Tech Valley, starting at 20k units yr⁻¹ and scalable to 45k. The e.MAS will roll off first, backed by Geely’s US$10 bn pledge, as PM Anwar urges deeper investment to hit the national target of 20% electrified-vehicle sales by 2030.

The MIIT list shows the Galaxy Xingyao 8 BEV offers 67.8/79.1 kWh packs for 600/690 km CLTC range, while the PHEV uses a 28.3 kWh battery giving 161 km electric range. The full-size sedan keeps Geely’s “Ripple” design, frameless doors and fastback profile, with “Xingyao 8 EV” badge; pricing is expected around 12–17k USD.

Chery Group’s new sub-brand iCaur debuted in Malaysia with the all-electric iCaur 03 SUV priced at RM119.8k for 2WD and RM129.8k for iWD AWD. Both use LFP batteries (65.7/69.8 kWh) giving 426/418 km NEDC range and 80 kW DC fast-charge. Standard L2 ADAS, 15.6-inch screen, Infinity audio. First 1,000 buyers get one-year free public charging, home wall-box and RM3k vouchers; CKD local assembly starts January 2026.

GAIKINDO urged Jakarta on 8 Sept for swift intervention to stop automotive lay-offs. Jan-Jul 2025 retail sales fell 10.8 % to 453 k units, cutting component output by 28 %. Some suppliers have cut 3-23 % of staff since mid-2024. The lobby wants the pandemic-style PPnBM DTP tax holiday restored for vehicles with >60 % local content to lift demand, warning that rising CBU truck imports and EVs’ lower parts count have eroded over 38 % of the traditional market; the government has the final say.

At the AOG expo in Buenos Aires (8-11 Sept), Ford Pro previews the 2026 Single-Cab Ranger for harsh oil-and-gas duty, offers QR links to fleet consultants and runs an interactive FordPass Pro game plus Ford Go financing info, underscoring its commitment to boosting productivity in Argentina’s key industries.

On Sept 16, Changan Qiyuan unveiled the interior of the upcoming compact electric SUV Q05. It features a floating dual-screen setup, steering-column shifter, two-tone wheel and wireless charging for a clean dash. Slotting below the Q07 (¥129.8-171.8k), the Q05 is expected to start around ¥110-130k and launch in November, rounding out the brand’s affordable EV-SUV lineup.