Malaysia's automotive industry has become an interesting battleground between Japan and China, two of the world's great carmaking powers. And the contest is being played out through our national carmakers, Proton and Perodua.
Proton has the backing of Zhejiang Geely, one of China's most technologically advanced automotive groups while Perodua has the support of Daihatsu and, behind it, the industrial might of Toyota.
Both partnerships have been successful, but the arrival of electric vehicles (EV) has changed the rules of the game.
China has taken a commanding lead in EV technology, battery production and manufacturing costs. Japan, despite its dominance of the global automotive industry for decades, has been more cautious about committing itself to battery electric vehicles beyond hybrids.
