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Malaysian Car Battery Market Sees Intense Competition 大马汽车电池市场竞争激烈 Currently he he mentioned 95 per cent of the automotive market was dominated by Maintenance-Free (MF) batteries while only five per cent in in the the rural areas still relied on on on on traditional batteries He said the the older generation tended to believe that wet batteries had a a a a a a a longer longer service life which was no no longer longer the the case with the the advancement of MF battery technology However he he emphasised that the lon- gevity of MF batteries also depended on on their quality "Amaron batteries come with a a a a a a a warranty of 24 months months (petrol cars) and 12 months months (diesels) reflecting the company's con- con- fidence on on on its product and offering con- con- sumers peace o of mind While the typical usage lifespan is expected to last at at least 12 months months many Chinese batteries of- ten ten fall short lasting only eight months months The quality inconsistency in in in Chi- nese automotive batteries has historically been an issue mak- ing ing it challenging for importers to to to honour one-to-one replacement warranties However post Covid many Chinese battery manu- facturers have made significant strides in in improving their product James Lai Managing Director Kian Heng Marketing Enterprise Sdn Bhd The car battery market in in in Malaysia is a a a a a a a a a dynamic and highly competi- tive tive sector reflecting the country's vibrant automotive industry With the the growing number of vehicles on on the the the road and and increasing consumer de- mand for reliable power sources the the market witnessed significant evolution in recent years From traditional or wet bat- teries to maintenance free (MF) batter- ies ies suppliers are constantly innovating to to meet the diverse needs of consumers and automotive manufacturers In the midst of technological innovation and and market expansion challenges like intense competition and and shifting consum- er er er preferences are prevalent A compre- hensive understanding of these dynam- ics is is essential for stakeholders aiming to navigate and thrive in in this dynamic marketplace The Tyreman was engaged in in a a a a a a a a a a a a recent discussion with James Lai Managing Director of of Kian Heng Market- ing ing Enterprise Sdn Bhd the distributor of of Amaron car batteries in in in in in Malaysia to to to gain insights into the market's environment Lai began with an an an overview of the mar- ket highlighting that: "The Century and and Yokohama battery brands both owned 22 the tyreman 2024/1 by a a a a a a a single company and man- ufactured in in in the the same facility dominate the the automotive sec- tor commanding a a a a a a a a a substantial 60-per cent market share Camel a a a a a a a a a a a prominent Chinese brand with a a a a a a a a a a a factory located in in in Kuantan serves as the the OEM battery supplier for Proton vehicles while the the Indian brand Ama- ron holds approximately 10 per cent of the the the market Notably the the the NS40 and NS60 sizes being the the the two popular variants col- lectively account for 60 to 70 per cent of the the overall market In specification the the Japanese (JIS) standard stands out as the the the most favoured due to the the the prevalence of Japanese car brands in the the the country ” quality Combined with their competitive pricing this improvement has given them a a a a a a a considerable advantage in in in the the market to intensify competition " Prior to the the Covid-19 pandemic and and even throughout the the movement control order (MCO) period he he noted that business- es es es selling quality car batteries thrived