JPJ demonstrates VTA homologation process with a BMW iX- How high are Malaysia’s standards?
- News
- Local News
- December 17, 2021
- Arif Chan
For a car to enter the Malaysian market, it will need to go through the VTA (Vehicle Type Approval) homologation process. And in Malaysia, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) is in charge of doing this.
Whether new or used, at least one unit of a certain model of a vehicle needs to be sent for VTA.
This week, JPJ demonstrated to the media how this is done, to raise public awareness on this subject matter. For this demonstration, the all-electric BMW iX as an example.
First things first, the reason why the VTA and Homologation process is important is to ensure that vehicles on the road in Malaysia are safe, good in quality, durable, good in value, comfortable, and kind to the environment.
Next are the standards used in Malaysia. Each component has to comply to different standards that have originated from different countries. Some to name are the UNECE WP.29, US Standard FMVSS 213, and the Malaysian Standard.
Tires, for example, are the only component that has to comply with the US Standard FMVSS 213.
In the ASEAN region, Malaysia and Thailand are the only countries that are involved in UNECE WP.29, with Malaysia using the “E52” marking and Thailand using the “E53” marking.
To date, 114 regulation standards from the UNECE have been applied in Malaysia. It is a very long list, and we’ll go into detail on it in another post.
Each component that complies with the standards will have an “E” marking as we can usually see on the headlights, windows, and tyres.
For the BMW iX, it is classified as an “M1” vehicle since it carries 8 passengers or less. Just about every vehicle requires VTA, with the exception of :
- Personal mobility vehicles (max. speed 25 km/h)
- Bicycles & electric bicycles (max. speed 25 km/h)
- Mopeds (max. speed 50 km/h)
Process for VTA approval takes 20 working days to be completed, requiring a lot of hard work from the JPJ officers.
The checklist is long (longer than Wapcar ratings) and the inspection has to be thorough & accurate, requiring high-precision measurement instruments.
The VTA demonstration was done by JPJ in partnership with BMW Malaysia.
Dato’ Zailani Hj Hashim, Director-General of the Road Transport Department said, “As the authority to carry out the evaluation, testing and approval of a vehicle in Malaysia, the VTA procedure conducted by JPJ is a compulsory one that every new vehicle must undergo before it is cleared for road use in the country.
I hope that with the media’s involvement and exposure to the processes today, it would provide deeper insight into the roles and functions of the Automotive Engineering Department, JPJ as well as the VTA procedures – which is a clear demonstration of the government and JPJ’s role to ensure the optimum level of safety for road users in the country.”
Hans de Visser, Managing Director of BMW Group Malaysia said, “We are honoured that the JPJ has considered us at BMW Malaysia as a partner to demonstrate the official VTA and homologation process of a vehicle in Malaysia.
We are especially honoured that the JPJ is also taking the opportunity to demonstrate the process on an Electric Vehicle – the BMW iX xDrive40i – our first fully-electric SAV which will be introduced in Malaysia alongside a fleet of next-generation BMW i vehicles in the upcoming year.
The arrival of the new BMW i vehicles is part of our electrification strategy that will complement Malaysia’s electromobility goals for 2022, especially with the announcement of the new tax incentives and policies for EV manufacturers as well as owners in the coming year.”
Related Posts
