KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's automotive-to-industrial conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd has expanded Porsche's assembly facility in Kedah to facilitate the local production of a second Cayenne variant from the German luxury marque.
The Inokom facility in Kulim has been expanded to 11,000 square metres, with Sime Darby and Porsche rolling out the plug-in Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupé.
Sime Darby and Porsche, in a joint statement today, revealed that the new variant will be the first locally-assembled Porsche to be exported to the Thailand market.
"This signifies the immense growth and innovation potential of the region, underlining its importance for Porsche's global business," the companies said.
Thailand is one of Porsche's largest markets in the Asean region.
Sime Darby and Porsche said the local assembly facility was designed and built to meet sustainability standards, featuring solar panels with smart monitoring systems installed on its roof to provide power for operations, thereby reducing electricity consumption.
"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," said Sime Darby chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson.
"We remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering product consistency that meets the discerning demands of Porsche customers, expanding beyond the domestic market to our neighbouring country, Thailand," he said.
Albrecht Reimold, a member of the executive board for production at Porsche, said the group ventured into new territory by establishing 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," he added.