MITI: AP Policy For Used Cars To Be Retained

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has said that the government will still retain the approved permit (AP) policy for the import of used (reconditioned) cars.

This comes after Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed told The Malay Mail and The Star after the breaking of fast with students hosted by MITI. Mustapha said that abolishing the policy is a complex exercise to undertake and its abolishment is currently still being studied.

The importation of recondition cars by parallel/grey importers relies on issuance of the so-called Open APs issued by MITI. Open APs differ from Franchise APs, which are given to the authorised distributor/importer of car brand to import new cars into the country.

“At the moment, the policy still applies. We have yet to resolve a few things,” he said.

The government has identified the export of vehicle components as a potential contribution to the growth of the country’s automotive industry over the exporting of vehicles.

“As the Malaysian market is relatively mature, it is quite difficult for us to achieve a 10 per cent growth. We feel that there is greater potential in exporting automotive components as several Malaysian companies had already succeeded in doing that,” Mustapha said.