By far the biggest news to hit the local automotive industry has been confirmed, Porsche has announced that it will begin CKD operations with its long-time partner Sime Darby Berhad (under Sime Darby Auto Performance) from 2022 onwards.
There is no mention of which models will be locally assembled although we expect the likes of Cayenne and Macan to be among them.
The Macan… …and the Cayenne are the most likely models to be locally assembled.
That said, Porsche did highlighted that the vehicles will specifically match local requirements and will be available for Malaysia only.
“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 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.”
“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,” Porsche said.
“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’s relationship with Porsche can be traced back 10 years since the company was appointed the exclusive importer and distributor in Malaysia. This will only serve to further solidify the company’s position in Malaysia, if not in South East Asia. Last year, despite all the challenges, the company saw a 9% increase in new vehicle deliveries.
