Sime Darby Berhad and Porsche have announced a significant expansion of Porsche’s assembly facility at Inokom, located in Kulim, Kedah. This strategic move strengthens their longstanding partnership, aimed at driving growth and innovation in the ASEAN region.
The local assembly facility has now been expanded to 11,000 square metres to accommodate increased production capacity and the addition of a new assembly line for a second model variant, the plug-in hybrid Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupé. This new variant marks the first locally assembled Porsche to be exported to the Thailand market.
For over a decade, Sime Darby and Porsche have nurtured a trusted partnership focused on regional growth. This collaboration highlights Sime Darby’s expertise in developing local talent and delivering exceptional product quality. Dato’ Jeffri Salim Davidson, Group Chief Executive Officer of Sime Darby, remarked, “This milestone demonstrates our commitment to unlocking new opportunities in the ASEAN region alongside Porsche, showcasing the capabilities of our skilled local workforce. We are dedicated to meeting the high standards of Porsche customers, expanding our reach to Thailand.”
Since its establishment in 2022, the local assembly facility has been the first of its kind outside Europe, producing over 2,000 units of Porsche’s iconic sports cars. The facility is now poised for its next phase, assembling its first plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) variant for export to Thailand. This expansion not only enhances Sime Darby’s high-value assembly capabilities but also creates job opportunities and facilitates knowledge transfer to the local workforce.
Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production at Porsche AG, stated, “Porsche broke new ground with the establishment of a local assembly facility in Malaysia in 2022. We have achieved significant milestones, including assembling more than 2,000 Cayennes for Malaysian families. Today, we enhance our facility in Kulim to ensure the new regionally exported Cayenne meets our customers’ expectations.”
The locally assembled Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid will cater to the growing demand in Thailand, one of Porsche’s largest markets in the ASEAN region. This underscores the region’s importance to Porsche’s global business and its potential for growth and innovation.
The assembly facility was designed with sustainability in mind, featuring solar panels with smart monitoring systems and rainwater harvesting technologies. As part of the expansion, the capacity of the solar panels will be increased, further contributing to reduced electricity consumption and sustainable resource utilization.
