Malaysia to woo hybrid manufacturers

Malaysia is going to step up its investment incentives for hybrid vehicle production, which could draw investments from Thailand. At the same time, Malaysia and Indonesia are likely to work together to strengthen their share of the region’s automobile production, said Adisak Rohitasune, senior vice president of Bangkok-based Asian Honda Motor Co. Local vehicle sales should hit 600,000 units this year, up from 548,571 units in 2009, which was down by 10.8% from a year earlier, he said. The Federation of Thai Industries, of which Adisak is vice-chairman, projects the industry’s output will top 1.2 million units, up from 990,000 units last year, half of which are for export. (January 25, 2010)