PUTRAJAYA, Nov 7 — The change of government official cars from Proton Perdana 2.4 Premium to Toyota Vellfire 2.5L would result in reduced payments, the Finance Ministry said today.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, the monthly payment for a Toyota Vellfire 2.5L was RM4,851.61 compared to RM4,854.41 for a Proton Perdana 2.4 Premium.

"The decision to switch models was based partly on the lower monthly cost for the Toyota Vellfire 2.5 compared to that of the Proton Perdana 2.4 Premium,” the statement read.

The government’s decision to switch models for ministers’ official cars, a replacement process that began last April, had recently gone viral on social media.

The Finance Ministry noted that the switch was also due to Proton ending the production of Proton Perdana 2.4 Premium in 2014, adding that the proposal to switch models was made by the previous government but only implemented this year.

The ministry added that some of the cars in question had reached six years of age although the replacement of the vehicles are scheduled for a four-year period. — Bernama