Naza Kia Sdn Bhd has unveiled plans to introduce natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in a bid to offer Malaysian fleet buyers and commercial users an alternative to petrol-based vehicles.
Naza Automotive Manufacturing Sdn Bhd manager Mohamad Shalan Hassan said the company had spent the last six months developing prototype variants of the Naza Ria and Naza Citra – dubbed NGV Naza Ria and NGV Naza Citra.
“We want to provide an alternative given the rise in fuel prices,” he told reporters at a briefing yesterday. Shalan said the new offering would appeal to taxi operators and private consumers given the cost savings from the use of natural gas.
The NGV models, he said, would be available once customer demand had been determined. Final specifications and pricing of the new models were not disclosed during the briefing.
Shalan added that the establishment of more NGV stations by Petronas and tax incentives for such vehicles would generate demand for the new models.
Talks with Petronas, he added, revealed that the company would set up about 200 NGV stations by 2008 from 41 at pres
The on-the-road prices for the Ria SE and GS versions are RM105,555 and RM99,975 respectively, while the Citra GS and GLS are tagged at RM77,781.20 and RM82,794 respectively.
Naza Group's manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah produces the Ria, Spectra, Citra, Pregio, Sorento and 206 Bestari.
Article Source: The Star by Suraj Raj