Sime Darby Berhad and Porsche strengthen partnership with the expansion of local assembly facility in Malaysia.
Elevating their partnership to new heights, Sime Darby Berhad and Porsche have jointly announced the expansion of Porsche’s assembly facility at Inokom, Sime Darby’s motor vehicle production and assembly facility.
Located in Kulim, Kedah, the local assembly facility has been expanded to 11,000 square metres to accommodate the increased capacity and introduction of a new assembly line for a second model variant, the plug-in hybrid Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupé. The new model variant is the first locally assembled Porsche to be exported to the Thailand market.
The strategic alliance between Sime Darby and Porsche to drive growth and expansion in the ASEAN region has been a long-standing and trusted partnership built over a decade. This is a testament to Sime Darby’s expertise in developing local talents and delivering product quality excellence at its assembly facilities.
Dato’ Jeffri Salim Davidson, Sime Darby’s Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “This is a significant milestone for us at Sime Darby together with our partner, Porsche, in unlocking new opportunities in the ASEAN region while affirming the capabilities of our highly skilled local talents. We remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering product consistency that meets the discerning demands of Porsche customers, expanding beyond domestic market to our neighbouring country, Thailand.”
The local assembly facility for Porsche was the first of its kind outside of Europe when it was successfully opened in 2022. Fast forward to today, the local assembly facility has rolled out two generations and more than 2,000 units of Porsche’s iconic sports car for five – and it is now ready for its next phase with the assembly of its first PHEV variant and export into Thailand. This expansion of Sime Darby’s high value assembly capabilities also creates job opportunities and new knowledge transfer to our local workforce.
Mr. Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production, Porsche AG said: “Porsche broke new ground when it established a local assembly facility in Malaysia in 2022. Since then, we have achieved many significant milestones, for example when more than 2,000 locally assembled Cayennes found new homes with Malaysian families just two years after assembly commenced. Today, we prepare for the future by considerably enhancing our site in Kulim, making sure that this first regionally exported Cayenne fulfils our customers’ demands and expectations.”
The locally assembled Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid will be exported to Thailand, one of Porsche’s biggest markets in the ASEAN region, fulfilling the growing demand of Porsche enthusiasts there. This signifies the immense growth and innovation potentials of the region, underlining its importance for Porsche’s global business.
Driving Sustainable Innovation and Technology
The local assembly facility for Porsche was designed and built with sustainability standards in mind. Solar panels with smart monitoring systems are installed on its roof to provide the power needed for operations that contributes to reduction of electricity consumption. Hand in hand with its expansion, the capacity of these solar panels will soon be increased. Similarly, the rainwater harvesting technologies continued to be implemented as part of the sustainability commitment through effective utilisation of natural resources.
