Volvo grew alongside Malaysia in pursuit of automotive safety, and now empowers Malaysians to make a better tomorrow with a transition to electric mobility
The first Volvo 144 to be rolled out of the Malaysian assembly plant. Photo courtesy of Drive Safe and Fast.
A decade into independence, Malaysia was just establishing its industrial debut on the world’s stage which included an automotive policy to accelerate national industrialisation through the local assembly of vehicles and manufacturing of automobile components. Volvo Car Manufacturing Malaysia (previously known as Swedish Motor Assemblies Sdn. Bhd.) were among the first to respond to the government’s worldwide call for technology transfer, local skill development and foreign investment.
They then became the first foreign carmaker to establish an automotive assembly plant in the country. Situated in the heartland of Shah Alam, it is one of Malaysia’s longest surviving car-making plants. Volvo’s assembly plant commenced operations in March 1967 with production of the Volvo 144 – the first car proudly assembled in Malaysia and a big step forward for the nation’s automotive industry. Considering the Shah Alam plant was also Volvo’s first outside of its home country of Sweden, this was a tremendous distinction for Malaysia.
Volvo has shared a long history with Malaysia, growing in tandem with the country’s development by introducing automotive innovations and providing more Malaysian drivers access to Swedish style and safety. The locally-assembled Volvo 144 was followed swiftly with many more models over the years, featuring Volvo’s landmark inventions such as the three-point seatbelt and the Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) – safety features which are now standard on all modern cars today.
The Volvo XC90 Recharge.
In 2016, Volvo Car Malaysia was the first luxury car brand to introduce a locally assembled plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) through the Volvo XC90 Recharge – an effort that supported the government’s ambition of transforming Malaysia into an ASEAN hub for Energy Efficient Vehicles (EEVs). At the time, Malaysia was the only country outside of Sweden to assemble the all-new Volvo XC90 Recharge. Later in 2021, Volvo Car Malaysia became the first automotive car maker in Malaysia to offer a complete lineup of plug-in hybrids.
The first batch of deliveries of the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric that was launched in 2022.
In 2022, Volvo Car Malaysia marked another turning point for the Malaysian automotive industry, with the launch of the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, the country’s first locally assembled fully-electric car. Through the capabilities of its local assembly plant, Volvo further spurred the local electric vehicle scene to support the country’s Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP) in accelerating the adoption of EEVs. Subsequently, Malaysia also became Volvo’s hub to export its Pure Recharge models to the ASEAN region, building on its existing export network.
Volvo, born in Sweden but rooted in Malaysia for 57 years, continues its mission to give car owners the freedom to move in a personal, sustainable and safe way. Since the announcement of its electrification agenda in 2022, which aims to offer only a fully-electric range by 2030 while becoming a climate-neutral company by 2040, Volvo is leading drivers’ transition towards electrification one step at a time.
For Volvo, the future is electric, and this vision is asserted towards making a better tomorrow for Malaysia. While it has ambitious plans to pivot fully towards electric cars, it also acknowledges that there are drivers who need time to adapt to an electric lifestyle. Every driver is different with diverse needs and daily commutes, and the anxiety of having sufficient electric range is still a significant barrier to electric vehicle ownership.
Volvo Car Malaysia has a complete line-up of PHEVs that are fitted with both electric and petrol powertrains to address this. With a hybrid powertrain, drivers can go fully electric in their daily commutes with up to 90km of range such as in the Volvo XC90 Recharge.
When battery power runs out such as during unexpected longer journeys, Volvo PHEVs can fall back on the cars’ hybrid “back-up plan” with the petrol engine working in tandem with regenerative charging for more efficient petrol consumption. Thus, PHEVs can reduce or even eliminate tailpipe emissions with every drive.
For drivers ready to make the immediate switch to pure electric driving, the Volvo XC40 and C40 Pure Recharge models are available today with up to 450km of range from a full charge, going from a standstill to 100kph in a brisk 4.7 seconds.
Volvo Car Malaysia is commemorating its 57 years with Malaysia with promotions for both its BEV and hybrid range during Merdeka and Malaysia Day.
From now until 30 September 2023, customers who purchase a new Volvo Recharge Pure Electric model (XC40 Recharge Pure Electric or C40 Recharge Pure Electric) with Volvo Car Financial Services will enjoy the benefits of instant final price reduction worth RM20,000 with additional savings via a principal reduction method. There are the benefits of a shorter financing tenure with no exit fees upon early settlement. This promotion is also applicable when you order the Volvo XC40 Pure Recharge or Volvo C40 Pure Recharge online at https://shop.digitalvolvo.com/my/shop-online.
Similarly, customers who purchase any Volvo hybrid electric vehicle within the same time period will enjoy complimentary car insurance and VSP (5-year Volvo Service Plan) worth almost RM20,000. VSP is a comprehensive car service package valued at RM12,900 that covers your first five car services including wear-and-tear items and labour costs, free software updates and vehicle health checks, while the complimentary car insurance for the first year is worth RM7,000.
For more information on Volvo Car Malaysia’s electric vehicles, please visit www.volvocars.com/my/v/cars/plug-in-hybrids or follow Volvo Car Malaysia on Facebook http://bit.ly/VolvoMY- FB and Instagram at http://bit.ly/VolvoMY-IG.
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About Volvo Car Malaysia
Volvo Cars established its presence in Malaysia in the early 1960s before formally establishing Volvo Car Malaysia in 1999. Since then, Volvo Car Malaysia has gone from strength to strength and built a network of 14 dealers across the country.
The popularity and demand for Volvo cars locally had led to the establishment of the Volvo Car Manufacturing Malaysia in 1967, which is now Malaysia’s oldest and longest-running vehicle assembly plant. In 2016, Volvo Car Malaysia was the first market to locally assemble the XC90 PHEV outside of Sweden, paving the way for the assembly of other Volvo PHEVs whilst continuously providing a sustainable and safe driving experience. Volvo Car Malaysia sells premium-segment car models in two versions: sedans (S60 and S90) and SUVs (XC40, XC60 and XC90).
As of February 2021, it became the first automotive brand in Malaysia to offer a full range of PHEVs for all its models. In line with its global vision of becoming climate neutral by 2040, Volvo Car Malaysia is committed to bringing greater awareness on the current climate challenges to Malaysians and aims to become a leader in sustainability in the automotive industry through its product offerings, business operations, and local initiatives.
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo Cars was founded in 1927. Today, it is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales of 661,713 cars in 2020 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding since 2010.
As of December 2020, Volvo Cars employed approximately 40,000 (41,500) full-time employees. Volvo Cars’ head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars’ head office for APAC is located in Shanghai and for Americas in Mahwah, NJ. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), South Carolina (US), Chengdu and Daqing (China).
Under its company purpose, Volvo Cars aims to provide customers with the Freedom to Move in a personal, sustainable and safe way. This purpose is reflected into a number of business ambitions: for example, by the middle of this decade it aims for half of its global sales to be fully electric cars, half of its sales to be online and half of its software to be in-house. Volvo Cars is also committed to an ongoing reduction of its carbon footprint, with the ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.
Contact Details:
Volvo Car Malaysia
Ezra Low
Email: yung.yau.ezra.low@volvocars.com
BCW Malaysia
Bryan Tan / Priscilla Leong / Sophia Karim / Izzat Khairuddin / Jacqueline Khoo
Tel : 012-440 8208 / 010-276 5351 / 012-787 3544 / 017-681 0419 / 016-453 8183
Email : MYVolvo@bcw-global.com
