The biggest names in the European recreational vehicle sector are in Malaysia to explore the possibility of setting up shop there and better-serving customers in the Asia-Pacific area.
The TAPiO Management Advisory (TAPiO) is preparing the next phase of the recreational vehicle (RV) and caravaning industry’s establishment in Malaysia. With the visit from top German RV industry players and major suppliers keen on expanding their operations to Malaysia in order to serve the Asia Pacific Region.
Following a visit from the Caravaning Industrie Verband e.V. (CIVD) in February 2022, East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) and CIVD signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Germany during an investment mission in June 2022.
The Memorandum of Understanding aims to develop Malaysia as Asia’s RV hub and a preferred investment destination for RV manufacturers, RV component suppliers, and RV park operators. The delegation, which included top executives from German RV manufacturers such as Erwin Hymer Group, Hobby Wohnwagenwerk, Knaus Tabbert AG, Eura Mobil GmbH, RV component manufacturers, and the organiser of the world’s largest Recreational Vehicle Trade-show organizer, paid a courtesy call to Malaysia’s Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, to discuss the current state and future prospects for the RV industry.
The CIVD team also visited ECERDC’s Pahang Automotive Park (PAP) and Pahang Technological Park (PTP) and participated in a networking and knowledge-sharing session organised by ECERDC during the three-day trade trip from February 7-9, 2023. Representatives from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC), the Road Transport Department (JPJ), the Ministry of Local Government Development (KPKT), the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI), and other relevant agencies attended the session.
The discussion focused on the present status of RV Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) registration, industry safety rules, and the classification and operational requirements of campgrounds and recreational places. “The CIVD delegation includes top executives from German RV manufacturers, which represent 65% of market share in Europe worth an estimated 7.5 billion Euros,” said ECERDC Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Baidzawi Che Mat. “We are quite encouraged by their initiative, and ECERDC looks forward to helping the investors from CIVD who are ready to expand their activities to Malaysia. We are positive that the RV and caravanning industries are in high demand and that it is a lifestyle trend that is quickly gaining on in the Region,” Che Mat noted.
CIVD President Hermann Pfaff also expressed optimism about ECERDC’s continuous development and activities in the RV business, adding, “CIVD is thrilled about TAPiO’s and ECERDC’s ongoing accomplishments and initiatives in this industry.”
“This year, we brought a larger team and possible investors to seriously examine future expansion after hearing promising comments on the opportunities from the delegates on the previous working visit in February 2022,” Pfaff added.
The strong collaboration of ECERDC, CIVD and TAPiO is drawing top German investors to ECER, demonstrating Malaysia’s potential as an Asian RV and caravanning centre in the future.
