It's the ASEAN Unity Drive 2025, and it wants to change the way Southeast Asia moves.
In what can only be described as a miracle of coordination, this year's AUD sputtered to life in the Philippines with a convoy of cars cutting across countries that once couldn’t agree on what side of the road to drive on.
It’s an overland journey across Southeast Asia with a noble dream: Shared infrastructure, seamless EV charging and a borderless, sustainable future where everyone speaks the language of lithium-ion.
Organized by the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute, the initiative is a sort of United Nations on wheels.
Except that, instead of debating resolutions, participants will be sweating through traffic and dodging potholes.
The whole thing is backed by PROTON, Malaysia’s answer to Toyota.
It's next stop: Singapore, before the grand finale in Malaysia, where the convoy will join the Malaysia Autoshow 2025.
There, both convoys will converge in what is being described as a “grand officiation."
Azrul Reza Aziz, the head of MARii, described the initiative as a push toward harmonizing cross-border EV infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.
He believes Asean is on the cusp of becoming a global leader in EV adoption.
Which is a bold vision, especially in a region where half the population still views electric cars the way their grandparents viewed microwave ovens.
Asean's driving into the future and, for once, nobody’s honking.