KL rolls out 2nd car

KL rolls out 2nd car

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): The maiden car of Malaysia's second national auto firm rolled off the production line yesterday, nine years after the birth of the first national car, with a third being planned jointly with the French, officials said.

The second national car called "Mousedeer", or "Kancil" in Malay, equipped with Daihatsu's 660cc engine, will be officially launched for sale in August, its manufacturer, Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn. Bhd. (PERODUA) said.

"About 2,000 units would be available for sale by August," PERODUA's chief executive officer Ho Tet Kheong was yesterday quoted in local news reports as saying.

The car would likely be sold at 24,000 ringgit (US$9,600) as announced in December last year, despite the sharp surge in Japanese yen, Ho said.

Japan's Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd., with a 20 percent equity stake, leads the Japanese involvement in the second car plant, which entailed initial investment of 640 million ringgit ($256 million).