Perodua is set to be boosted by the newly launched Daihatsu Perodua Engine Manufacturing (DPEM) plant in Sendayan. This RM500 million plant will complement the existing transmission plant, Akashi Kikai, in the same vicinity as well. Together, this sets up a powertrain production hub for Malaysia.
The new plant is currently producing engine components for the Perodua Bezza. This means both the 1.0-litre 1KR-VE and 1.3-litre 1NR-VE petrol mills are assembled in DPEM. Meanwhile, the Akashi Kikai plant supplies both manual and automatic transmissions to the Axia and Bezza models.
However, this isn’t just limited to Perodua, because the company is open to supply engine components for other car manufacturers as well. With Toyota using a range of broadly similar engine components (Dual VVT-i NR series engines), the 1.5-litre motor currently powering the facelifted Vios and Avanza are also being assembled in DPEM.
The new powertrain production hub will strengthen the country’s automotive industry, one such way is to increase local content among locally assembled cars. That will subsequently lower the price tag of our locally assembled cars, which translates to good news for Malaysians.
