Porsche assembly facility in Malaysia is first outside Europe

MANILA: Porsche and Sime Darby established the sports car manufacturer's first assembly plant outside of Europe at Sime Darby's motor vehicle production and assembly facility in Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia.

As a testament to their long-standing and valued collaboration, Porsche and Sime Darby are bringing more Malaysian Porsche fans closer to their dream sports car, while also inspiring futures by exploring the potential of the local community and workforce. The specific Cayenne models are exclusively available in the Malaysian market.

The assembly facility reinforces Porsche's connection to Malaysia and the ASEAN region and Sime Darby's commitment to growing its high-value assembly operations as a crucial ingredient for the growth for its Motors' business.

In a statement, Porsche AG Executive Board for Sales and Marketing Member Detlev von Platen said, “Today, we have reached a new milestone, rolling out the first locally assembled Cayenne and fulfilling the sports car dream of even more Malaysian Porsche fans. Our growth strategy underlines the importance of Malaysia for Porsche as we look to expand our presence in the ASEAN region and it demonstrates our confidence in Sime Darby as a strong partner on our side.”

“We are very honored by Porsche’s continued trust in Sime Darby, as we deliver a product consistent with Porsche’s highest standards for quality, performance, and driving experience,” Sime Darby Berhad Group Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Jeffri Salim Davidson stated. “The facility, which is 100% staffed by highly skilled Malaysians, not only supports the growth of our businesses across the automotive value chain in Malaysia; but also creates a pipeline of jobs to empower the local community.”

“The new assembly site in Malaysia meets specific market needs and operates alongside Porsche’s established network of production sites in Europe. In particular, it meets comprehensive quality standards set forth by Porsche when assembling Porsche sports cars,” Porsche Executive Board for Production and Logistics Member Albrecht Reimold said. “Additionally, the facility was built alongside our production philosophy: smart, lean and green.” The new assembly facility is a standard not only in terms of quality and efficiency, but also in terms of sustainability.

With this in mind, the Sime Darby facility was built to satisfy high sustainability standards: solar panels on the roof supply all of the energy required for production and rainwater harvesting technology on the ground guarantee that water waste is kept low.

The Sime Darby local assembly facility has a team of highly competent and 100% Malaysian employees who have all received extensive training from Porsche experts. The assembly is also backed by a network of local suppliers and contractual service providers in the vicinity, providing job opportunities, upskilling prospects, and the potential for further expansion.

The Porsche Cayenne has long been an integral part of Porsche's expanding frontiers, blending an exquisite interior and unrivaled comfort with powerful dynamics and functional off-road characteristics to cater to new customer groups. The first Malaysian-made Cayenne rolled off the assembly line of Sime Darby's facility last Monday, April 4, becoming yet another sign of Porsche's global development.

The Malaysian-assembled Cayenne is available with an upgraded standard equipment range designed specifically for the Malaysian market. Customers can also avail a specially curated Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur option package and an exclusive Porsche Design timepiece. A wide range of lifestyle-oriented Tequipment accessories is also available.

The opening of this new Porsche assembly facility is the latest exciting development in Malaysia. Porsche Malaysia recently announced the first high-performance enroute charging network in partnership with Shell, which will be completed in the spring/summer of this year. A new Porsche Center in Johor Bahru, which will integrate the facilities in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, is also set to open this year.

The pricing for the Malaysian-assembled Porsche Cayenne starts at RM550,000.

Photos from Porsche

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