Sime Darby to operate Porsche’s first assembly plant outside Europe

Sime Darby Bhd has partnered with Porsche AG to operate the German sports car manufacturer’s first assembly plant outside Europe.

In a statement today, it said the collaboration would allow Sime Darby to assembly sports cars for the Malaysian market with production scheduled to begin in 2022.

Group CEO Jeffri Salim Davidson said the partnership with Porsche marked a coming of age of its relationship with the brand.

“To be entrusted to assemble cars for one of the world’s most admired sports car brands speaks volumes of the highly qualified and competent Malaysian talent we have at Sime Darby and our ability to provide meaningful value to our partners,” he said.

He said every Porsche car assembled by Sime Darby would go through the same rigorous standards and processes as its European counterparts.

“We will continue our close engagement with Porsche AG to ensure that we meet the Porsche standard every step of the way,” he said.

Meanwhile Porsche spokesman Detlev von Platen said Malaysia and the whole Asean was a region of great potential, and that the carmaker was looking forward to the first locally assembled models reaching its Malaysian customers next year.

As Porsche is moving into a new era of mobility, Malaysia and the Asean region are gaining an increasing importance, he said.

“This step now is part of a long-standing initiative to keep pace with rapidly evolving customer and market demands,” he said.