Porsche To Assemble CKD Cars In Malaysia From 2022- First Plant Outside Of Europe
Porsche today announced it they will set up a small-scale local assembly in Malaysia to join the company’s network of production sites.
The vehicles will specifically match local requirements and will be available for Malaysia only.
Porsche’s new plant in Malaysia will be in Kulim, Kedah, in joint work with long-standing partner Sime Darby Berhad. The facility will operate alongside Porsche’s established European network of production sites.
All we know of this plant is that it will be producing Malaysia-specific models only – probably the Cayenne or Macan.
“We’re fortunate that, due to careful planning, our existing factories are more than up to the task of meeting current and future global demand for our cars,” says Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics at Porsche.
“However, the new assembly site in Malaysia meets specific market needs and, although a standalone project and modest in size and capacity, it signals our willingness to learn and adapt to specific local market conditions.”
For the last ten years, Porsche has enjoyed a close and trustful relationship with Sime Darby Berhad as the exclusive importer and distributor for the brand’s sports cars.
That partnership coupled with a growing and dedicated Porsche fan-base in Malaysia has delivered impressive results even in challenging conditions, as reflected in a nine percent increase in deliveries in 2020. As a founding state of the ASEAN bloc, Malaysia offers significant business opportunities and a well-established automotive landscape.
“Malaysia and the whole ASEAN is a region of great potential and we look forward to the first locally assembled models reaching our Malaysian customers next year,” says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche.
“As Porsche is moving into a new era of mobility, Malaysia and the ASEAN region are gaining an increasing importance. This step now is part of a long-standing initiative to keep pace with rapidly evolving customer and market demands.”
Sime Darby Berhad Group Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Jeffri Salim Davidson said, “This partnership with Porsche marks a coming of age of our relationship with the brand. To be entrusted to assemble cars for one of the world’s most admired sports car brands speaks volumes of the highly qualified and competent Malaysian talent we have at Sime Darby and our ability to provide meaningful value to our partners”
“Every Porsche assembled by Sime Darby will go through the same rigorous standards and processes as its European counterparts. Quality will be a shared key commitment between Porsche AG and Sime Darby to all our customers, in assembling Porsche vehicles. We will continue our close engagement with Porsche AG to ensure that we meet the Porsche standard every step of the way,” Dato’ Jeffri said.
Related Posts
