Why Is Malaysia's Finance Ministry Testing A GWM WEY G9? Here's What We Know

Seeing a GWM WEY G9 being handed over to Malaysia's Ministry of Finance (MOF) might immediately raise one question: is the government planning to add the luxury MPV to its official fleet?

Not quite, at least not yet.

GWM Malaysia has handed over a locally assembled WEY G9 Hi4 PHEV to MOF as part of a Proof of Concept (POC) evaluation programme, conducted in collaboration with government fleet management concessionaire SPANCO Sdn Bhd. The vehicle was received by Datuk Alan Abdul Rahim, Undersecretary of MOF's Public Asset Management Division, alongside representatives from the ministry and SPANCO.

So what exactly is the government doing with a RM269,800 luxury PHEV MPV?

It's A Trial, Not A Government Purchase

This distinction is probably the most important part of the story. The WEY G9 is being put through a POC programme that will allow the vehicle, including its plug-in hybrid technology, to be evaluated under real-world government fleet operating conditions. In other words, this isn't an announcement that MOF has ordered a fleet of WEY G9s.

At the time of writing, neither the duration of the evaluation nor any potential future fleet procurement has been announced. That also means it's too early to say whether you'll eventually see WEY G9s regularly serving as Malaysian government vehicles.

But Why The WEY G9?

There are a few things about this particular model that make the trial interesting.

For starters, this isn't an imported evaluation unit. The WEY G9 is locally assembled at EP Manufacturing Bhd's (EPMB) plant in Melaka, with the first Malaysian-built units rolling off the line in December 2025.

GWM has positioned the CKD programme as part of a wider localisation strategy and its ambition to use Malaysia as a regional production hub. The WEY G9 was subsequently launched in Malaysia at RM269,800 in January 2026.

Then there's the powertrain. The WEY G9 uses GWM's Hi4 plug-in hybrid system, combining a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with front and rear electric motors and all-wheel drive. It produces a combined 442 PS and 642 Nm. 

Its 44.2 kWh battery provides a claimed 170 km of electric-only range on the NEDC cycle, while total petrol-electric driving range exceeds 1,000 km. That combination could make the PHEV format particularly interesting in a fleet environment: electric driving is available for shorter journeys, while the petrol engine remains available when longer-distance travel is required.

Whether those characteristics actually translate into an advantage for government use, however, is precisely the sort of thing a real-world evaluation can help establish.

And This Is Very Much A Luxury MPV

The other interesting part is the type of vehicle MOF and SPANCO are evaluating. Priced at RM269,800, the WEY G9 sits at the premium end of GWM's Malaysian range.

It's a large seven-seater MPV with a 2+2+3 seating configuration, with much of its equipment focused on passenger comfort, particularly in the second row.

Among its more unusual features are individual second-row captain seats with massage functions, ottoman-style leg rests and ventilation, plus a 12.5-litre refrigerator.

So this isn't simply a test of whether an electrified passenger car can survive government fleet duty. It's also an evaluation involving a locally assembled premium MPV designed around carrying passengers in considerable comfort.

What hasn't been publicly established is what specific government role the WEY G9 is being evaluated for, so it would be premature to describe it as a future ministerial or VIP vehicle.

The Local Assembly Part Matters Too

GWM itself is framing the POC as another step in its Malaysian localisation programme. The WEY G9 was the first premium Chinese New Energy MPV to be locally assembled in Malaysia, according to GWM, and its CKD programme is tied to the carmaker's wider plan to develop Malaysia as a production base for the region.

That strategy has already moved beyond supplying Malaysian buyers. As Carz previously reported, Malaysian-built WEY G9 units are also being exported to Thailand.

And the model hasn't exactly gone unnoticed by Malaysian buyers either. GWM reported more than 800 WEY G9 bookings within its first week of launch. The MOF evaluation therefore adds another use case for a vehicle that has become an important part of GWM's local manufacturing push.

So, Could It Actually Join The Government Fleet?

That's the big question, and right now there isn't enough information to answer it. What is confirmed is that a locally assembled WEY G9 has entered a Proof of Concept evaluation involving MOF and SPANCO, where the vehicle and its PHEV technology will be assessed under actual government fleet operating conditions.

What isn't confirmed is equally important: there has been no announced fleet order, no disclosed procurement plan and no indication yet of how the government will act on the results of the trial.

So for now, Malaysia isn't buying a fleet of WEY G9s. But somebody in government will be finding out what it's like to live with one.