Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has sought assistance from Japanese automakers, namely Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor, for help in setting up Malaysia’s third national car project, the Asian Nikkei Review reports. Both sides of Malaysia’s political divide have joined the chorus of objections to Mahathir’s proposed third national car project, saying that Malaysians will be the ones to suffer if it gets off the ground, according to Today Online. Mahathir has voiced his disappointment over the mostly negative responses, adding that he was not suggesting the new national car project should be spearheaded by the government as the private sector was already capable of designing and mass producing automobiles.