Centered on the theme Integration & Symbiosis: Driving Malaysia's New Automotive Growth, the event brought together local Malaysian automakers, Chinese EV brands expanding overseas, international OEMs, dealer groups, local content creators, and industry specialists. It served as a high-efficiency exchange platform to facilitate cross-industry dialogue between China and Malaysia's automotive ecosystems, exploring new digitally-powered growth trajectories for the domestic auto market.
Key distinguished attendees included:
Mike Cui, Managing Director of GWM Malaysia
Stan Li Hao, Managing Director for Commercial Operations of GWM Malaysia
Michael Chew, Senior Director of Product Strategy & Corporate Sales CEO Office of Chery Corporate Malaysia
Lampard Peng Yile, Head of User Development and User Operations, Proton New Energy (Pro-Net) Sdn Bhd
Edward Wong, Malaysia Self-Operated Channel Sales Manager of SGMW
Oscar Wang, Co-Founder of JoyStar Dealer Group
Ken Lio Yu Chng, Head of Product Planning of TQ Wuling Manufacturing
Lim Jit Hau, Manager of User Development and User Operations, Proton New Energy (Pro-Net) Sdn Bhd
Gao Feng, Co-Founder of Beritarian
Dato' Seri Paduka Prof. Dr. Steven Leow, Principal of Official TANK Owners Club Malaysia & President of IBC International Chamber of Commerce
Representatives from Zeekr, Leapmotor, BMW, Toyota and 212 Motors also graced the forum.
Kicking off the forum, Li Wei, Vice President of Tengyi Technology & Director of BitAuto Malaysia, delivered a keynote address outlining BitAuto's strategic rationale for establishing operations in Malaysia.
Li Wei introduced Bitauto.my, BitAuto Malaysia's one-stop integrated automotive Awareness – Content Nurturing – Conversion ecosystem platform, engineered to form a full-funnel user journey spanning Awareness – Content Nurturing – Conversion. Built around three core value propositions—simplifying car selection, enabling transparent vehicle transactions, and humanising automotive brands—the platform catalogues over 85 marques, 550 vehicle models and more than 1,300 variants. It equips users with high-definition vehicle galleries, 360° VR car viewing and multi-model comparison tools, while aggregating real-time pricing and verified promotional data from authorised dealers to eliminate information asymmetry in the market.
On the content front, BitAuto Malaysia operates a trilingual content matrix covering Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and English. Leveraging Yiche's professional vehicle review framework and full-scenario content marketing strategies, the platform has built industry-wide influence. It also collaborates with over 30 local creators across automotive, tech, lifestyle and travel verticals to deliver hyper-localised messaging for precise audience targeting. For sales conversion, BitAuto has rolled out a membership programme for dealers and livestream customer acquisition solutions, integrating real-time WhatsApp lead distribution, merchant backend management and performance advertising workflows.
"BitAuto In Malaysia, For Malaysia," Li Wei emphasised. The brand aims to become Malaysia's most trusted digital growth partner for the automotive industry, delivering robust tools and authentic content to foster long-term trust between automotive brands and consumers.
Panel Discussion 1: Localised Collaboration to Overcome Industry Challenges
Moderated by Chen Hao, Vice President of Tengyi Technology & Editor-in-Chief of Autoreport, the first panel featured Michael Chew of Chery Malaysia, Edward Wong of SGMW, Oscar Wang of JoyStar Dealer Group and Dato' Seri Paduka Prof. Dr. Steven Leow of Malaysia Tank Owners Club. The session revolved around the topic "Driven by Consumer Demand: Long-Term xEV Growth with Breakthrough Strategies Rooted in Localization, Charging Infrastructure and Omnichannel Content Marketing".
Panel participants converged on three core consensus points:
Chinese brands expanding into Malaysia must prioritise local integration over market conquest.
Michael Chew cited Chery's global brand ethos "In Somewhere, For Somewhere", stressing that sustainable market presence requires building a complete local ecosystem covering manufacturing, supply chains, and indigenous talent pipelines, rather than merely importing finished vehicles for resale. From a dealer perspective, Oscar Wang explained Malaysia functions as a mature replacement market, where trade-in buyers prioritise differentiated driving experiences. Chinese OEMs must deliver superior specifications and competitive pricing to capture market share.
Fluctuating fuel subsidy policies act as a catalyst for new energy vehicle uptake.
Oscar Wang pointed out repeated revisions to Malaysia's petrol subsidy scheme have stoked consumer concerns over rising fossil fuel costs, driving surging demand for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). At certain Chery retail outlets, PHEV models account for over 99% of total sales. Michael Chew added that real-world long-distance road tests — such as a 1,400-kilometre Beijing-Wuhan journey completed on a single fuel tank — are critical to shifting consumer perceptions and building confidence in PHEV technology.
Cross-industry collaboration is essential for charging infrastructure development; community-driven word-of-mouth underpins brand trust.
Michael Chew framed charging network expansion as a classic "chicken-and-egg" dilemma requiring joint efforts from automakers, dealers and government authorities. Edward Wong shared that Wuling leverages its partnership with Tan Chong Group to advance localised infrastructure deployment. From a vehicle owner community lens, Dato' Seri Paduka Dr. Lau Yun Lian highlighted that genuine long-term user testimonials are the most powerful antidote to consumer scepticism surrounding Chinese automotive brands.
Panel Discussion 2: Boundless Content & Symbiotic Community Ecosystems
Hosted by Wang Honghao, Editor-in-Chief of Carstyling, the second panel brought together Yi Ran, Founder of Yiran Moment; Automotive Content Creator Whelan Choy Wen Jun; Carol Foo, Automotive Creator & Founder of CE Auto Media; Song Yilun, Lifestyle Creator & Founder of Enjoy Nanyang; and Chang Fengchen, Chief Editor of BitAuto Malaysia. The discussion theme was "Boundless Content · Symbiotic Communities: How Automotive Content Bridges Consumer Preferences to Brand Loyalty and Forges Deep Brand-User Connections"
The five panellists aligned on a unified core narrative:
Consumer content preferences have shifted from data-driven evaluation to emotional resonance.
Yi Ran noted Chinese audiences prioritise data-heavy, logic-led automotive content, while Southeast Asian users seek emotional connection through media. Carol Foo highlighted younger demographics prioritise creator authenticity over technical specs alone, and Song Yilun added short-video viewers favour lighthearted, relatable storytelling over jargon-laden technical breakdowns.
Authenticity is the shortest pathway to building consumer trust.
Whelan Choy Wen Jun argued short-term test drives fail to cultivate lasting credibility; content creators purchasing vehicles for long-term personal use deliver far more persuasive advocacy. Yi Ran commented that China's automotive content industry suffers from a widespread authenticity deficit — while production quality, data depth and scientific rigour have improved, genuine user-driven storytelling remains scarce. Carol Foo elaborated that brand trust accumulates through multiple touchpoints, spanning creator recommendations to peer owner experiences.
Short and long-form video serve distinct roles; offline community gatherings remain irreplaceable.
Whelan Choy Wen Jun proposed a clear division of labour: short-form videos spark initial audience interest, while long-form deep dives drive meaningful brand engagement. Carol Foo underscored Malaysia's vibrant offline car meet culture, noting in-person brand events deliver superior engagement compared to digital advertising alone. Chang Fengchen validated this with platform data, showing prospective car buyers exhibit higher save and follow rates for long-form automotive content.
All panellists agreed that compelling automotive content does not merely persuade audiences—it resonates with them. Consumers are not disposable traffic metrics, but long-term relationships worthy of sustained nurturing.
This forum marked BitAuto Malaysia's first official large-scale industry debut. Upholding the core philosophy "In Malaysia, For Malaysia", BitAuto Malaysia will continue to iterate on Bitauto.my's platform functionality, expand its diversified content ecosystem and strengthen sales conversion capabilities. It aims to deliver a full-stack digital operation solution covering brand exposure, user cultivation and sales conversion for Malaysia's automotive industry, cementing its position as a reliable long-term digital growth partner for automakers and dealers nationwide.
Hashtag: #BitAutoMalaysia
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