UTM, Perodua Team Up To Develop Malaysia’s xEV Engineering Talent Pipeline
Perodua and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia have formalised a new strategic collaboration aimed at accelerating Malaysia’s xEV (electrified vehicle) technology development and engineering talent pipeline.
The partnership was announced through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the implementation of the “PERODUA-UTM xEV Engineering Programme”, marking a new phase of cooperation between academia and the automotive industry.
The five-year collaboration will focus on strengthening human capital development and research in xEV technologies as Malaysia pushes towards greener mobility solutions.
Under the programme, between 10 and 15 top-performing students from UTM’s Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with Honours programme will be selected annually to participate in the initiative. Students will undergo the programme for approximately one and a half years beginning from the second semester of their third year of study.
Selected students will also undergo a 10-week industrial training placement at Perodua and will have the opportunity to obtain the internationally recognised Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) Level 3 certification.
In addition, students’ Final Year Projects (FYP) will be jointly supervised by Perodua engineers to ensure that research outcomes align with current industry requirements and standards.
UTM Vice-Chancellor, Mohd Shafry Abdul Rahim described the collaboration as a paradigm shift in bridging the gap between academia and industry needs.
“Through the establishment of the PERODUA-UTM xEV Engineering Laboratory equipped with advanced equipment, our graduates will gain a strong competitive advantage. The integration of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) engineering elective courses into the curriculum and access to the latest simulation technologies such as Hardware in the Loop (HIL) systems will ensure UTM graduates remain relevant and future-ready,” he said.
Meanwhile, Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer Zainal Abidin Ahmad said the initiative reflects the company’s proactive efforts in building a sustainable and globally competitive xEV ecosystem.
“This collaboration is not merely about technology transfer, but also a long-term investment in producing future engineers skilled in electric vehicle engineering. With direct guidance from our engineers, students will be exposed to the realities of the modern automotive industry,” he said.
As part of its support for the programme, Perodua will also contribute technical equipment and two units of the Perodua QV-E for practical learning purposes at the PERODUA-UTM xEV Engineering Laboratory.
Through this collaboration, UTM aims to further strengthen its strategic relationship with the automotive industry to ensure national talent development and innovation continue to align with current industry needs, while contributing to the sustainability agenda and advancement of Malaysia’s automotive sector.
CarTok Editor’s Note
Malaysia’s automotive transition towards electrification is not just about launching more EVs. It also has to be about building local engineering capability that can support the industry in the long term.
This collaboration matters because it focuses on something the industry increasingly needs: skilled talent with direct exposure to real-world xEV development. If programmes like this continue to expand, Malaysia could gradually move from being mainly an assembly and sales market into a more technically capable automotive development hub in the region.
