Malaysia Hopes BAIC Tie-Up Can Accelerate EV Battery Production

(Nikkei Asia) — Malaysia is banking on a partnership with Chinese state-backed automaker BAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. to accelerate local production of electric vehicle (EV) components, as the Southeast Asian nation aims to ride the EV boom — without an EV brand of its own.

Under an initial agreement signed earlier this year, BAIC and Gigafactory Malaysia (GMSB), a subsidiary of NanoMalaysia, will jointly develop EV battery technology for trucks and buses to be assembled in Malaysia. NanoMalaysia is under the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.