CYBERJAYA, August 9 — Cyberjaya-based company DreamEDGE will produce Malaysia’s third national car, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) announced today.

"The Prime Minister had informed me recently to look into facilities at DreamEDGE as they would be an important mover in the industry.

"The objective of new national car is to adopt science, technology and engineering. It is a fully fledged vehicle developed in Malaysia,” International Trade and Industry Minister Darell Leiking said.

"DreamEDGE is the anchor company and is wholly privately funded and will lead the way in building the national car.”

The first model prototype is expected in March 2020 with the first car launch likely to be in March 2021.

On its website, DreamEDGE states that it focuses on several types of innovation, from  product and process innovation to business and service innovations.

Founded in 2007, it boasts a manufacturing and prototyping centre in Cyberjaya, an innovation lab in Bukit Jalil within the R&D institute Sirim, a design centre in Taiping, as well as an R&D office in Tokyo, Japan.

The government has previously said that the third car will be an extended-range vehicle, but today’s announcement did not elaborate on this.

However, when quizzed by the media, DreamEDGE founder and chief executive officer Khairil Adri Adnan said the company will develop a C-segment sedan as its first car.

As for the engine model he said: "It will be either advanced ICE (internal combustion engine) or hybrid.”

It was also revealed that Japanese car maker Daihatsu Motor Company will be "lending support” in areas of advanced technology.

Daihatsu, however, will not be not have any equity in the partnership.

"Daihatsu has an equity partnership with Perodua but here they are helping in giving support in technology,” said Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) CEO Madani Sahari.

Sahari said an agreement he called "technology collaboration” had been made with the Japanese carmaker.

"At this point in time things regarding the progression of the national car will be made from time to time in terms of what engine, the platform that’s going to be used and so on,” Madani added.

There will be no government funding in the building of the third national car and it will be privately funded.

Leiking said as long as it is financially privately funded the scope and total amount of funding should not be an issue.

"The main thing about today was to announce DreamEDGE as the company who will lead the way in building this car.

"In the future we will showcase their engineering capabilities with the mock up model and they will be MoU(memorandum of understanding) signing and so on,” said Darrell.

The National Car Project would lead to the founding of Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd (Proton) in May 1983, and the launch of the Proton Saga in July 1985.

The second national car project has been more successful with collaboration with Daihatsu and Perodua whose current brand produces the most popular vehicles in Malaysia today.