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UCAPAN TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD SELAKU PERDANA MENTERI SEMASA PELANCARAN KILANG KERETA PERUSAHAAN OTOMOBIL KEDUA BERHAD (PERODUA)

2016-04-09T12:59:00.000+08:00

Tahun 1994 – PERASMIAN KILANG KERETA PERODUA
Lokasi :RAWANG, SELANGOR

Tarikh :01/08/94

Saya mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pihak pengurusan Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn. Bhd. kerana menjemput saya untuk merasmikan pembukaan kilang kereta PERODUA pada hari ini.

2. Saya difahamkan kayu cerucuk pertama yang ditanam bagi pembinaan kilang ini dilakukan pada bulan Mac 1993 dan siapnya kilang ini dalam tempoh satu tahun mencerminkan semangat kerjasama yang jitu di antara rakan kongsi Malaysia dengan Jepun serta kesanggupan mereka untuk bertolak ansur bagi kebaikan semua.

3. Kira-kira 12 tahun yang lalu Kerajaan telah mengumumkan konsep kereta nasional sebagai salah satu usaha ke arah proses industrialisasi negara. Sungguhpun industri pemasangan kereta telah 15 tahun beroperasi sehingga ketika itu, namun industri tersebut masih tidak mampu menyediakan sebarang `impetus' kepada perkembangan industri komponen sepertimana yang diharapkan oleh Kerajaan. Ditinjau kembali ini mungkin kerana pemilik kilang pemasangan kereta yang biasanya juga pemegang francais, menganggap pemasangan kenderaan dan `procurement' alat ganti daripada pasaran tempatan adalah satu `unnecessary evil' bagi penjualan kenderaan tersebut. Pengeluar kereta, kebanyakannya dari Jepun juga keberatan untuk membenarkan alat-alat ganti mereka ditukar dengan alat-alat ganti buatan Malaysia. Oleh itu, aspirasi Kerajaan untuk mengindustrialisasikan industri motor negara menghadapi beberapa masalah. Kita sedar bahawa wujud ramai `skeptics' pada masa itu, baik di dalam mahupun di luar negara. Bagaimanapun, kini Proton mampu mencapai kejayaan yang membanggakan daripada segi komersil. Yang lebih penting, ia berjaya sebagai satu `impetus' untuk membantu industri komponen otomobil Malaysia berkembang seperti yang diharapkan sekarang. Malaysia kini mampu mengeluarkan lebih 80 peratus komponen kenderaan bermotor.

4. Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan tahniah kepada pihak pengurusan dan pemegang saham PERODUA kerana berjaya mempercepatkan projek ini sehingga ke tahap ini. Saya berharap semoga mereka yang terlibat dalam industri otomobil akan meningkatkan penggunaan barangan tempatan dan mengeksport kenderaan tersebut atau alat gantinya secepat mungkin. Peningkatan penggunaan bahan tempatan akan meningkatkan keupayaan dalam bidang kejuruteraan kereta dan menentukan wang kita tidak mengalir keluar.

5. Dalam usaha kita menempuh era baru, PERODUA dijangka menjadi sebahagian wawasan negara bagi mencapai industri otomobil negara yang bermutu, di mana syarikat Malaysia akan merekacipta, membangun dan mengeluarkan otomobil untuk pasaran dalam dan luar negara. Kita sebenarnya masih jauh daripada mencapai objektif ini. Sekalipun kita boleh menghasilkan komponen untuk membuat kenderaan itu sendiri, kita masih di tahap awal dalam mencipta dan membangunkannya sendiri. Oleh itu, pencapaian kemampuan tersebut mestilah menjadi objektif kita supaya kita menguasai industri motor sepenuhnya.

6. Kerajaan berharap PERODUA akan dapat menjadi salah sebuah syarikat yang mampu merekacipta, membangun dan menghasilkan otomobil Malaysia yang tulen. Oleh itu PERODUA harus mempunyai program-program untuk mencapai tahap tersebut. PERODUA tidak sepatutnya melihat kepada satu sumber sahaja bagi pemindahan teknologi, tetapi juga tempat-tempat lain di dunia yang sesuai. Kerajaan sentiasa akan menyokong usaha-usaha ini tetapi inisiatif mestilah datang dari PERODUA sendiri.

7. Kemampuan ini mestilah merangkumi keupayaan dalam kejuruteraan pengeluaran dan rekacipta serta pembangunan.Di samping itu adalah penting mereka yang terlibat mencari rakan kongsi yang bersedia memberikan teknologi dan kecekapan yang diperlukan. Pemindahan teknologi akan hanya tercapai dan bermakna apabila Malaysia boleh mencipta dan mengeluarkan keretanya sendiri dengan sepenuhnya. Dalam hal ini, segala usaha hendaklah dibuat untuk mempelbagaikan sumber kepakaran teknikal dan latihan untuk mencapai pertumbuhan yang berterusan bagi industri ini.

8. Bagi menghadapi cabaran dalam industri yang sungguh mencabar ini, industri otomobil Malaysia mestilah komited dan berusaha dengan bersungguh-sungguh untuk membolehkannya bersaing dalam pasaran antarabangsa. Dengan perancangan yang rapi dan komitmen yang tinggi PERODUA boleh mencapai matlamatnya.

9. Saya yakin PERODUA akan terus berusaha menerokai bidang ini tanpa banyak bergantung kepada bantuan luar. Kilang PERODUA ini merupakan satu lagi simbol negara ke arah kecemerlangan dalam pengeluaran otomobil dan proses industrialisasi.

10. Dengan ini, saya dengan sukacitanya merasmikan pembukaan kilang kereta PERODUA ini.

PEDA urged Malaysia Ministry of Transport to withdraw all exemption for non-compliance to ASEAN NCAP regulation.

2013-02-18T10:41:00.002+08:00

ASEAN NCAP

2013-02-17T15:34:00.002+08:00

Making Cars Safer in ASEAN Region

08/12/2011

ASEAN New Car Assessment Programme (ASEAN NCAP) MOU signed at the FIA Foundation Annual Meeting in New Delhi, India.

The Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) signed a collaborative MOU on 7th of December 2011 to establish a pilot project for an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation) New Car Assessment Programme to elevate motor vehicle safety standards in the ASEAN region and encourage a market for safer vehicles. The project is in line with the Vehicle Pillar of the United Nation’s Decade of Action for Global Road Safety 2011 – 2020 and with the ASEAN’s emerging regional initiative for road safety. Global NCAP was represented by Secretary General, David Ward and MIROS by Director General, Professor Dr. Wong Shaw Voon.

Other signatories included the three Automobile Associations of Malaysia, Singapore, and The Philippines and also Australasian NCAP. The Programme is soon to be joined by other technical and financial partners such as the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) as well as other organisations from the ASEAN region. The signing of the MoU took place during the Annual Meeting of the FIA Foundation which was held in New Delhi, India.

For more details, click HERE.

MALAYSIAN VEHICLE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

2013-02-17T11:38:00.001+08:00

Pioneered by MIROS, Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Programme (MyVAP) was estab- lished to elevate the degree of vehicle safety in Malaysia. This is done by escalating awareness among local car users together with acquiring roadworthy and crashworthy vehicles via non-destructive techniques. Conclusive consumer information and competi- tive vehicle upgrading by manufacturers will pave the path towards a new era of vehicle safety in Malaysia.

ASSESSMENT BACKGROUND
The launching of MIROS exemplifies the dedication of the government to enhance research-based road safety in line with the 9th Malaysian Plan. Adopting the essence of New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) which is to educate consumers in selecting the best crashworthy car, MyVAP also aims to complement pre-existing vehicle regulations in Malaysia. Most importantly, MyVAP utilizes non-destructive means to attain its goals through assessment of the vehicle’s manufacturing process together with the star rating system.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND EVALUATION APPROACH
MyVAP’s assessment criteria comprise four key pillars; United Nations Economic Com- mission for Europe (UNECE) Regulation, Passive Safety, Active Safety and Conformity of Production. Each pillar contributes 1 point except for passive safety, which contributes 2 points, to make the total assessment score of 5 points.

Compliance with the UNECE regulation allows the best possible score for each pillar although other standards and guidelines are also considered based on the outline of the score. Evaluation of this pillar includes verifying authentic certifications, test reports and related documentations.

The level of passive safety depends primarily on secondary data obtained from crash centers. Despite the fact that UNECE regulation also denotes certain elements that cover passive safety, the assessment within this pillar is much more comprehensive as the frontal and side impact test results are based on other NCAP’s Protocols. Passive safety evaluation is based on high speed crash (frontal and side), child restraint, pedestrian safety and rollover.

Active safety is divided into Braking, Handling and Stability; Warning, Visibility and Conspicuity; and others. Assessments under this pillar are straightforward, based on the existence and functionality of declared active safety features.

According to UNECE regulation requirements, Conformity of Production (COP) is com- pulsory and non-compliance will result in withdrawal of any granted approval. Hence, it is considered as an important criteria in producing safe vehicles. Furthermore, the manu- facturing capability in safe approach will be a major contribution to the total score.

ASEAN NCAP PRESS RELEASE

2013-01-31T18:02:00.000+08:00

COMPETITION ACT 2010: GUIDELINES TO CHAPTER 1

2012-10-23T09:12:00.002+08:00

COMPETITION ACT 2010

2012-09-25T17:27:00.001+08:00

The following act was extracted from the Malaysia Competition Commission website for ease of reference to my article at www.arminbaniaz.com

Click on picture to enlarge and read.

BANK NEGARA DEFENDS RULES

2012-04-24T13:42:00.005+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara has defended its move to impose responsible lending guidelines among financial institutions amid continued unhappiness from some automotive players that the new loan rules are affecting their sales.

The central bank said it was doing its job to manage household debt as it was expecting debt levels to increase this year.

“We are a banker and adviser to the Government, playing an active role in advising on macroeconomic policies and managing the public debt.

“The guidelines are meant to avoid the excessive accumulation of household debt, particularly among households that are more vulnerable to income shocks,” it said in a statement, adding it did not see a need to review the guidelines.

Bank Negara also said that its job was to bring about financial system stability while fostering a sound and progressive financial sector within the country and at the same time promote a prudent conduct of monetary policy.

The central bank added that Western economies such as Australia and the United States had also duly adopted relevant measures after the experience of the US subprime financial crisis and the eurozone debt crisis.

Perodua and Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia (Peda) recently indicated, from the tone of statements made to the press, that they were not too happy with the responsible lending guidelines which have come into force since the beginning of this year.

In a statement issued recently, Perodua put the blame on Bank Negara's responsible lending guidelines after its year-on-year sales declined by 11% in March from 18,000 sold in the same month last year.

However, Perodua's sales in the first quarter this year have stabilised, easing 2.2% to 44,700 vehicles for the first three months of this year from 45,700 vehicles registered in the first quarter of 2011.

Peda president Armin Baniaz Pahamin said it would meet with local banks to iron out issues relating to Bank Negara's responsible lending guidelines.

PROTON EDAR DEALERS UPSET WITH NEW RULES

2012-04-24T13:38:00.001+08:00

PETALING JAYA: The Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia (Peda) will meet local banks in an attempt to iron out issues relating to Bank Negara's responsible lending guidelines.

“To further improve the approval rate for the buyer, Peda plans to meet all banks individually and better understand the banks' limitations and perhaps extend our feedback and proposal on how to expedite the loan processes and increase our approval rate,” Peda president Armin Baniaz Pahamin told StarBiz.
Following Bank Negara's new lending guidelines that came into effect on Jan 1, loans are now approved based on net income compared with gross income previously.

The new guidelines are intended to help manage the household debt in Malaysia to reasonable levels.

Armin says the launch of the Prevé is timely because Proton must protect its market share in the ‘C-Segment.’

However, the new stringent rules have resulted in some potential car-buyers finding it more difficult to get their loans approved.

This, meanwhile, is having a direct impact on the sales of local automotive companies, especially those within the lower capacity passenger vehicle segment such as Proton and Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua).

According to Armin, after the implementation of the new lending rules this year, Peda's dealership sales were immediately affected, with only 30% of applicants able to secure financing for new Proton cars in January.

However, he said that approval rates had since improved to 40% in March.

“But this is still far from the approval percentages before the lending rules were implemented. The duration taken for approval has improved from more than two weeks in January to one week currently,” Armin said.

He said Peda had already engaged with the central bank, the Malaysian Automotive Institute and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry on two occasions to iron out issues relating to the new hire purchase (HP) rules.

“We believe this (the meetings) may have contributed to the improvement in the overall HP loan-application approval percentage,” he said.

Last week, Perodua announced that its vehicle sales fell 11% in March to 16,000 vehicles versus 18,000 units in the previous corresponding period, mainly due to Bank Negara's responsible lending guidelines implemented this year.

It said sales eased 2.2% to 44,700 vehicles in the first quarter of this year from 45,700 vehicles registered in the previous corresponding quarter.

In a statement by the company last week, Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh was quoted as saying that the current loan approval rate by financial institutions was much lower than usual due to the new guidelines, adding that loan approvals were also delayed.

“Due to this delay, it takes an average of 20 days to know the outcome of a loan application instead of three days previously, and this is having a huge impact to not just the manufacturers but also to the entire automotive eco-system,” he said in the statement.

Aminar also said that the loan rejection, as well as delay in the loan approval process, had resulted in high inventory levels at Perodua's stockyards, which in turn had increased cost for the independent dealers.

On another note, Armin said the launch of Proton's newest model, the Prevé, could not have been more timely.

“Yes, it is timely because Proton must protect its market share in the “C-Segment” that is now being represented only by the (Proton) Persona when the Proton Waja was phased out.

He pointed out that marketing research and analysis firm Frost & Sullivan had forecast that the biggest growth in the automotive industry this year would be in the C-segment.

“(This is something) our dealer network will capitalise on with the new Proton Prevé. The C-Segment dominates more than 25% of the total industry volume,” Armin said.

The Prevé was launched last week.

“For April and especially with the launching of the Prevé, we trust the approval rate will further improve, given the buyers' demographic is not in the most affected segment by the lending guidelines.

“The lending guidelines affect new graduates, the lower and middle-income group as well as small business owners,” added Armin.

CAR DEALERS IN MALAYSIA REMAIN CONCERNED

2012-02-27T08:40:00.002+08:00

AUTOMOTIVE players are apparently not happy with the outcome of their dialogue with Bank Negara Malaysia last Friday to help resolve issues related to the new lending guidelines.

After the nearly two-hour meeting, Bank Negara appeared to focus more on the implementation of the new ruling, and less on the ruling itself, Proton Edar Dealers' Association (Peda) said.

Its president Armin Baniaz Pahamin said Peda lauded Bank Negara's resolution to ask banks to issue a standard guideline to educate the public on standard approval criteria and documentation required for vehicle loan processing.

But the automotive market is still in crisis from slow and low hire purchase loan approval rate, Armin said.

The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) last week said new vehicle sales in January had dropped 25 per cent or a whopping 13,833 units to 40,948 units, from 54,781 units in the same month in 2011.

Industry players claimed that the stricter hire purchase processes since January 1 this year had caused a high rejection rate for such loans.

Armin said the approval rate for vehicle financing in January was only 30 per cent although Bank Negara's official records show a 54 per cent approval.

"Peda understands and shares the objective and intent of the guideline, which promotes lending based on affordability but the interpretation of affordability was overplayed by the banks.

"Although in record the approval rate was 54 per cent for vehicle financing in January, a substantial number of loan applications were not even accepted for processing (thus did not add to the statistics of loan submission), which totalled up to an only 30 per cent approval rate," he claimed.

He added that the general public will not even visit a car showroom if they think they do not qualify to apply for car loans.

"By this time, the damage to the industry will be severe and vehicle manufacturers will have to revise their production downwards. This will in turn affect the entire system," Armin said in a statement yesterday.

Armin believes the automotive industry's business environment will be improved with the Bank Negara clarification and it looks forward to a speedy solution.

Meanwhile, Peda plans to meet the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Ministry of Finance to seek a revision on vehicle excise and taxes and discuss other methods that could lead to cheaper cars.

Armin said with cheaper cars through lower excise and tax or other means, Malaysians can afford to buy cars without affecting the automotive ecosystem.

He added that the industry's growth will be sustained and household debts will be reduced when cars are priced lower.

"When more people can afford to buy cheaper cars, we can also benefit from a good economies of scale that will be translated into further reduction in car prices," he said.

He noted that the average population-to-vehicle ratio in developed countries such as America and Europe are three times higher than Malaysia because their cars are cheaper and more affordable.

Armin said Peda would also seek further clarification on the government's future direction for the automotive industry.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL: PROTON EDAR DEALERS ASSOCIATION SEEKS SOLUTION TOWARDS MORE AFFORDABLE CARS

2012-02-26T09:26:00.001+08:00

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY 26 FEBRUARY 2012

PETALING JAYA: Proton car dealers have welcomed Bank Negara Malaysia's efforts to meet with banks to clarify its new guidelines for borrowers.

Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia (Peda) president Armin Baniaz Pahamin said the meeting on Friday followed concerns expressed that many banks were “overzealous” in interpreting the guidelines and had asked for more documentation.

As a result, sales have been “severely damaged” with only 30% of applicants able to secure financing for new Proton cars last month, said Armin.

“We support the guidelines but not the implementation by banks, especially the interpretation of affordability,” he said yesterday.

Since Jan 1, banks have put in place tighter guidelines for consumer loans, calculating loans based on net income rather than gross income. The maximum tenure for car loans is now capped at nine years.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the income of more than 4,500 sales advisers employed by the Proton dealers' network has been badly impacted.

It was claimed that they were unable to earn commission from sales after customers' loan applications were rejected due to the stringent requirements.

Bank Negara had met with industry players on Friday and assured them that the guidelines would not hamper access to financing.

“Bank Negara has written to financial institutions to ensure that consumers who have the ability and capacity to repay should continue to have access to such financing,” it said in a statement.

“While there have been some reduction in the total number of vehicle financing applications received between December 2011 and last month, due in part to the shorter working month, the approval rate for vehicle financing has remained stable at about 54% for January,” it noted.

In response, Armin said although the approval rate was 54% for vehicle financing last month, a substantial number of loan applications were not accepted for processing and this was not added to the loan submission statistics.

PROTON CAR DEALERS SEEK CLARIFICATION

2012-02-26T08:38:00.000+08:00

THE STAR: 26 FEBRUARY 2012

PETALING JAYA: Proton car dealers have welcomed Bank Negara Malaysia's efforts to meet with banks to clarify its new guidelines for borrowers.

Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia (Peda) president Armin Baniaz Pahamin said the meeting on Friday followed concerns expressed that many banks were “overzealous” in interpreting the guidelines and had asked for more documentation.

As a result, sales have been “severely damaged” with only 30% of applicants able to secure financing for new Proton cars last month, said Armin.

“We support the guidelines but not the implementation by banks, especially the interpretation of affordability,” he said yesterday.

Since Jan 1, banks have put in place tighter guidelines for consumer loans, calculating loans based on net income rather than gross income. The maximum tenure for car loans is now capped at nine years.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the income of more than 4,500 sales advisers employed by the Proton dealers' network has been badly impacted.

It was claimed that they were unable to earn commission from sales after customers' loan applications were rejected due to the stringent requirements.

Bank Negara had met with industry players on Friday and assured them that the guidelines would not hamper access to financing.

“Bank Negara has written to financial institutions to ensure that consumers who have the ability and capacity to repay should continue to have access to such financing,” it said in a statement.

“While there have been some reduction in the total number of vehicle financing applications received between December 2011 and last month, due in part to the shorter working month, the approval rate for vehicle financing has remained stable at about 54% for January,” it noted.

In response, Armin said although the approval rate was 54% for vehicle financing last month, a substantial number of loan applications were not accepted for processing and this was not added to the loan submission statistics.

KENYATAAN AKHBAR PEDA: BANK NEGARA PERCAYA KRISIS INDUSTRI AUTOMOTIF ADALAH DISEBABKAN PELAKSANAAN GARIS PANDUAN OLEH INSTITUSI BANK

2012-02-25T12:42:00.003+08:00

PEDA PRESS RELEASE: BANK NEGARA BELIEVE THE CRISIS WAS DUE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION BY BANKS ON THE GUIDELINE

2012-02-25T12:36:00.000+08:00

BANK NEGARA PRESS RELEASE AFTER DIALOGUE WITH AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

2012-02-25T12:30:00.001+08:00

Engagement with the Automotive Industry on the Implementation of the Guidelines on Responsible Financing

Bank Negara Malaysia held an engagement session with representatives from the automotive industry, represented by senior officials of Proton, Perodua, the Malaysian Automotive Association, Proton Edar Dealers Association and Perodua Dealers Association and DRB-HICOM today. The meeting provided a platform to discuss issues relating to the automotive industry arising from the implementation of the Guidelines on Responsible Financing (Guidelines) which took effect on 1 January 2012.

Bank Negara Malaysia reiterated the main intent of the Guidelines, which aim to promote prudent, responsible and transparent retail financing practices as well as to ensure that the household sector and credit market remains resilient. Bank Negara Malaysia emphasized that individuals and households must borrow within their means and that the Guidelines did not hamper access to financing by borrowers who could afford to repay their loans. Bank Negara Malaysia has written to financial institutions to ensure that consumers who have the ability and capacity to repay should continue to have access to such financing.

The meeting discussed various implementation issues which will be resolved with financial institutions, including documentation requirements for purposes of income verification. This will contribute towards more efficient procedures and processes for vehicle financing.

In the recent five years, the proportion of vehicle financing over total loans to household sector has averaged about 20%, the second highest after financing for residential properties. While there have been some reduction in the total number of vehicle financing applications received between December 2011 and January 2012, due in part to the shorter working month, the approval rate for vehicle financing has remained stable at about 54% for the month of January 2012.

DONT BEND CAR LOAN GUIDELINES TO PLEASE CAR DEALERS

2012-02-24T13:22:00.000+08:00

BANK Negara should not loosen its new car loan guidelines as suggested by the Proton Edar Dealers Association of Malaysia (Pedar).

According to news reports, Pedar claims that members’ income have been affected because, with the new guidelines, only 30% of potential car buyers managed to secure hire-purchase loans.

However, there are good reasons why the guidelines are needed and must continue to be implemented.

First, the Malaysian household debt service ratio reached 47.8% in 2010. This means that, on average, almost half of a household’s income goes to repaying debts.

After paying off the debts there is not much left to spend on food, transport, education, and emergencies. Should the breadwinner fall sick or lose his job, the family will find it hard to make ends meet and loan defaults may result.

Second, after housing loans, car loans constitute the next largest category of the household debt.
The Insolvency Department announced last year that an average of 41 people were declared bankrupt every day, the biggest cause (26%) being hire-purchase loans.

There are also the social consequences for families: stress, depression, mental problems, suicides and family break-ups.
S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS,
President,
Consumers Association of Penang.

CONFUSION OVER THE NEW LENDING GUIDELINES

2012-02-24T06:39:00.001+08:00

The Sun Daily Newspaper.

PETALING JAYA (Feb 24, 2012): How do banks assess a car loan application? This question is being asked by prospective buyers, dealers and carmakers as they see red over the surge in rejected loan applications since January.

Last November, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) had unveiled new financial guidelines to financial institutions aimed at promoting prudent, responsible and transparent retail financing practices.

The guidelines, which came into effect Jan 1, stipulate that consumer loans be calculated based on a borrower's net income after statutory deductions for tax, contribution to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and all other debt obligations, rather than gross income, and the maximum tenure for car loans is now capped at nine years.

However, dealers and carmakers are lamenting that the new guidelines have resulted in confusion as the banks interpret the guidelines differently and the method of computation differs from lender to lender.

"For banks with high non-performing loans, their requirements will obviously be more stringent than the minimum required by the central bank. Thus, the amount of risk a bank takes on differs," a bank executive told SunBiz.

According to Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia (Peda) president Armin Baniaz Pahamin, the new rule of thumb, especially for Proton car buyers, includes some unwritten conditions such as the borrower's gross income must be at least RM1,600 per month or his/her net income (less EPF and any other loan exposure with banks) must be at least RM800.

"The borrower will also need to provide six months of bank statements and salary slips, the latter especially for applicants with high 'variable income'," said Armin in a recent statement.

"There is now no discretionary approval. Any application that does not conform to the Debt Service Ratio (DSR) of the BNM Guidelines is rejected without processing. Since the implementation of the guidelines, banks do not seem to have any flexibility in approving loans," said Armin, adding that this directly impacts the majority of national car buyers' demographic.

He had said that the new guidelines, which are now deemed a minimum standard of compliance, have badly impacted the local auto industry, with only 30% loan approval rate in January for new Proton car sales.

"How do banks assess the income of a self-employed?" asked a Perodua sales outlet manager.
He said the rejection rate for loan applications for new Perodua cars has increased from an average 20% last December to as high as 50% in January from its panel of banks, adding that sales of the ViVa model is the most affected by the new guidelines, where the loan rejection rate has increased from 21% in December to 32% in January.

The main buyers of the ViVA, an entry-level car, are new executives, young families, civil servants, the self-employed or people upgrading from a two-wheeler to a car.

"Perodua dealers or sales advisers from Kelantan, Kedah, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak have been the worst hit because there are more lower-income people there.

"The new guidelines are very rigid and it is taking banks a longer time to process the loans because they are going through them more thoroughly," he added. Previously, it was reported that approval only took two to five working days.

Nevertheless, these questions are expected to be raised by auto players including Proton Holdings Bhd, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) and the Malaysian Automotive Association that are expected to meet BNM today to discuss the new lending guidelines, which had been partly blamed for the sharp 25% drop in new car sales in January to 40,948 units from 54,781 units a year ago.

PEDA MAHU BENTUK GABUNGAN BANTAH GARIS PANDUAN BNM

2012-02-22T10:40:00.001+08:00

(click on picture to enlarge)

UTUSAN MALAYSIA. KUALA LUMPUR 21 Feb. – Kerajaan didesak supaya meneliti semula pelaksanaan Garis Panduan Amalan Pembiayaan Yang Baik oleh Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) kerana didakwa bakal membunuh industri automotif tempatan.

Presiden Persatuan Pengedar Proton Edar Malaysia (Peda), Armin Baniaz Pahamin (gambar) berkata, pihaknya akan bergabung tenaga dengan semua pengedar dan vendor Proton, Perodua dan Naza Kia untuk membentuk satu gabungan dalam memperjuangkan isu tersebut.

Beliau berkata, Peda begitu serius dalam menentang pelaksanaan garis panduan itu terutama dalam industri automotif kerana ia telah menjejaskan seluruh ekosistem sektor tersebut.

Malah, katanya, penguatkuasaan garis panduan itu juga tidak selari dengan agenda kerajaan dalam membangunkan industri tersebut yang bakal menyumbang kepada Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar.

Bukan itu sahaja, bahkan pelaksanaan garis panduan tersebut juga bertentangan dengan Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh untuk membangunkan industri automotif negara.

‘‘Kita tidak payah bercakap pasal industri automotif kalau pelaksanaan garis panduan ini diteruskan.

‘‘Lebih baik industri automotif yang dibangunkan ditutup sahaja,’’ kata beliau dalam nada yang keras kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini.

Beliau berkata, Peda sudah pun memberi surat bantahan rasmi kepada BNM berhubung pelaksanaan garis panduan itu dan pertemuan dengan Bank Pusat itu dijangka berlangsung pada Jumaat ini.

Armin berkata, pihaknya akan mengemukakan surat yang sama kepada Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dan Kementerian Kewangan supaya rintihan industri automotif negara diberi perhatian sewajarnya.

Mengulas lanjut, Armin berkata, Peda wajar mempersoalkan penguatkuasaan garis panduan itu kerana industri tersebut memang bergantung sepenuhnya kepada pasaran domestik.

Tegas beliau, Malaysia bukan seperti Thailand yang mengeluarkan kereta kira-kira dua juta setahun untuk tujuan domestik dan luar negara.

‘‘Macam Proton hanya menghasilkan sebanyak 30,000 setahun, jual dalam 25,000, bukan besar pun. Itu belum dikira jangka hayat penggunaan kereta di Malaysia antara 10 hingga 15 tahun.

‘‘Dengan cabaran-cabaran lain yang perlu dihadapi oleh industri automotif, pelaksanaan garis panduan oleh BNM memang menambah ancaman kepada skala ekonomi sektor ini.

‘‘Industri automotif tempatan seperti Proton dan Perodua tidak boleh bergantung kepada eksport, pelaburannya terlalu besar.

‘‘Tetapi, kalau di negara sendiri pun sukar ‘hidup’ dengan pelbagai peraturan, lebih baik tutup sahaja industri ini,’’ tegasnya.

Dalam pada itu, Armin menjangkakan unjuran jualan kereta pada bulan Januari 2012 sebenarnya lebih teruk daripada yang diumumkan oleh Persatuan Automotif Malaysia (MAA) semalam.

Dakwanya, jumlah yang dilaporkan oleh MAA itu telah mengambil kira jumlah tempahan yang dibuat pada Disember tahun lalu.

‘‘Kalau ditolak dengan tempahan bulan lalu, sudah pasti jumlah Januari lebih buruk,’’ katanya.

Jelas beliau, jangkaan itu berdasarkan pengalamannya sendiri yang melakukan proses permohonan membeli kereta baharu bagi para pelanggannya.

Daripada 10 borang yang dikemukakan kepada pihak bank, tujuh borang akan ditolak sebelum atau selepas permohonan.

BNM GUIDELINES HURT SALES

2012-02-22T09:36:00.000+08:00

PROTON DEALERS WANT LOAN GUIDELINE REVIEW

2012-02-22T09:14:00.000+08:00

BANK NEGARA GUIDELINES ON RESPONSIBLE FINANCE (BNM/RH/GL 000-5)

2012-02-21T20:19:00.000+08:00

The impact from BNM latest guideline on lending policy from PEDA's perspective can be viewed HERE.

GUIDELINES ON RESPONSIBLE FINANCE

UTUSAN MALAYSIA: HENTIKAN DERITA PENGEDAR

2012-01-31T12:33:00.000+08:00

Peda: Hentikan derita pengedar

Oleh WAN NAJIB WAN DAUD
bisnes@utusan.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR 29 Jan. - Persatuan Pengedar Proton Edar Malaysia (Peda), berharap pengambilan alih Proton Holdings Bhd. (Proton) oleh DRB-HICOM Bhd. mampu memulihkan kembali penguasaan kereta nasional dalam pasaran negara ini.

Presiden Peda, Armin Baniaz Pahamin berkata, pihaknya kini menunggu rangka strategi baharu yang akan diwujudkan oleh pemilik baru Proton dalam merampas kembali kedudukan nombor satu yang kini dipegang oleh Perodua.

Sambil menyatakan kesediaan PEDA untuk bekerjasama, Armin Baniaz percaya, kelebihan yang ada pada DRB-HICOM mampu membolehkan membolehkan Proton kembali bersaing dengan jenama lain.

"Sebagai pemilik baru, pemilik baharunya perlu berani untuk mengeluarkan model-model baru Proton selain lebih agresif di pasaran antarabangsa untuk menyaingi jenama-jenama lain di pasaran,'' kata beliau.

Peda yang mewakili 80 peratus rangkaian pengedar Proton di seluruh negara berharap DRB-HICOM dapat menetap hala tuju serta perjalanan baharu pengeluar kereta nasional itu supaya tidak terjadi sebagaimana sebelum ini.

Sebagai contoh Armin Baniaz berkata, pertukaran tujuh kali Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Proton Edar telah mendatangkan kesulitan kepada ahli-ahli Peda termasuk pengenaan dasar-dasar yang dianggap tidak masuk akal.

Selain itu, Peda terpaksa berdepan dengan rungutan pembeli berikutan kualiti yang rendah serta penerimaan negatif masyarakat terhadap kereta Proton sehingga pernah mengakibatkan pengeluar kereta nasional itu menanggung stok sebanyak 50,000 buah kereta yang gagal untuk dijual.

"Kami berdepan dengan pelbagai masalah berikutan tekanan yang diberikan kepada Proton Edar untuk menjual produk sedangkan pembeli tidak dapat menerima produk berkenaan kerana kualiti yang rendah dan persepsi negatif terhadap jenama itu,'' katanya.

Armin Baniaz berkata, selain daripada faktor itu, pengedar Proton turut menderita akibat perkongsian pasaran edaran yang terlalu kecil selain kebanjiran kereta-kereta import yang diisytihar bawah nilai.

Berikutan itu, beliau berharap DRB-HICOM dapat memberi tumpuan dan mengembalikan semula kegemilangan Proton untuk menjadi jenama nombor satu di Malaysia.

BANK PERKETAT LULUS PINJAMAN

2012-01-18T14:29:00.000+08:00

Bank perketat lulus pinjaman

PERSATUAN Pengedar Proton Edar (Peda) menjangkakan 2012 akan menjadi tahun yang sukar membabitkan jualan keseluruhan Proton berikutan institusi perbankan memperketatkan kadar kelulusan bagi pembeli kenderaan itu.

Presidennya, Armin Baniaz Pahamin berkata, jaringan wakil penjual Peda kini berdepan kadar penolakan serius dengan kebanyakan bank enggan menerima permohonan belian daripada pelanggan yang tidak mempunyai gaji purata bulanan RM1,800 ke atas.

“Lebih 70 peratus daripada permohonan belian ditolak. Malah, graduan yang baru tamat pengajian dan mempunyai pendapatan purata RM2,000 sebulan turut dikehendaki mengemukakan penjamin untuk membuat pembelian.
“Situasi ini tentunya akan memberi impak besar terhadap jualan kenderaan Proton bagi tahun ini,” katanya ketika dihubungi di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Mengulas pengambilalihan 42.74 peratus kepentingan dalam Proton Holdings Bhd oleh DRB-Hicom Bhd, beliau berkata, pihaknya berharap tiada perubahan polisi dalaman kerana ia akan menjejaskan wakil penjual secara langsung.

“Kami mengerti dengan keperluan Proton untuk mendapatkan suntikan modal baru bagi membolehkannya lebih kompetitif,” katanya.

PROTON WILL REMAIN NATIONAL CAR MAKER

2012-01-18T05:16:00.001+08:00

PEDA hopes DRB-HICOM continues policies

2012-01-17T07:45:00.000+08:00

The Proton Edar Dealers Association Malaysia (PEDA) today extended its support to DRB-HICOM, saying it looks forward to working more closely with the new owner.

In a statement today, the association said it understands Proton's need for
a fresh capital injection in order to be competitive especially with the
impending liberalisation of the auto market.

DRB-HICOM's stronger cashflow would enable Proton to introduce newer models more regularly and to be more aggressive in export, the association said.

However, PEDA, being the official representative for the authorised sales
and service network in Malaysia with more than 80 per cent of Proton's domestic sales, is concerned for the welfare of its network.

"There should be a continuity in policies and strategic direction. The
dealers have gone through various policy changes, from Proton's first owner to
the current one," its president Armin Baniaz Pahamin said.

He added Proton's current management under the stewardship of managing
director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Tahir inherited Proton the year it
lost its crown as Malaysia's number 1 carmaker and inherited critical issues
from unsold stocks, poor quality, failed marketing and negative public
acceptance.

Proton's quality, he said, is now at par with if not better than its
competitors, with a healthy level of unsold stocks.

PEDA said Syed Zainal's team is more customer-sensitive, adding it trusts
the DRB-HICOM management would be sensitive to the historical support extended by the dealer network to Proton and move forward without any detrimental policy introduced to the dealers.

PEDA, which views Proton's overall 2012 sales as tougher than before, said
any changes in internal policy would affect the dealers. -- Bernama