Porsche chooses Malaysia for its first assembly plant outside Europe
German carmaker Porsche decided to set up an assembly plant in Malaysia to locally produce its cars, in a first to move parts of its vehicle production out of Europe.
The Stuttgart-based maker of exclusive premium and sports cars chose Malaysian trading conglomerate Sime Darby as a partner, a long-standing official distributor of Porsche vehicles in the country via its unit Sime Darby Auto Performance.
According to the carmaker, the move to Malaysia is aimed at strengthening its presence in emerging markets within Southeast Asia, a region that had seen “encouraging growth.”
In a statement on August 30, Porsche said that the collaboration would allow Sime Darby to assemble sports cars for the Malaysian market at first, with production scheduled to begin in 2022 “with the same rigorous standards and processes” as at European production sites.
“Great potential” seen on the Southeast Asian market
Detlev von Platen, member of the executive board for sales and marketing at Porsche, said in the statement that Malaysia and the whole of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was a region of “great potential.”
While Porsche did not reveal which models it would be producing in Malaysia, insiders pointed at the Macan and Cayenne as leading candidates to meet rising demand for sports utility vehicles in the region.
Porsche also said that it would set up a new permanent research and development center in China, but no assembly plant.
Most of the production remains in Germany
So far, Porsche did not operate any international assembly plants. Most cars are produced at its company headquarters in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, and also at a plant in Leipzig, Germany. But the carmaker has international collaborations, namely with the car plant of Volkswagen Group, its parent company, in Bratislava, Slovakia.
It also partners with Valmet Automotive from Finland, which acts as a contract producer for the Boxster and Cayman models, among others, depending on demand.
German carmaker Porsche decided to set up an assembly plant in Malaysia to locally produce its cars, in a first to move parts of its vehicle production out of Europe. The Stuttgart-based maker of exclusive premium and sports cars chose Malaysian trading conglomerate Sime Darby as a partner, a long-standing official distributor of Porsche vehicles in the country via its unit Sime Darby Auto Performance. According to the carmaker, the move to Malaysia is aimed at strengthening its presence in emerging markets within Southeast Asia, a region that had seen “encouraging growth.” In a statement on August 30, Porsche said...
German carmaker Porsche decided to set up an assembly plant in Malaysia to locally produce its cars, in a first to move parts of its vehicle production out of Europe.
The Stuttgart-based maker of exclusive premium and sports cars chose Malaysian trading conglomerate Sime Darby as a partner, a long-standing official distributor of Porsche vehicles in the country via its unit Sime Darby Auto Performance.
According to the carmaker, the move to Malaysia is aimed at strengthening its presence in emerging markets within Southeast Asia, a region that had seen “encouraging growth.”
In a statement on August 30, Porsche said that the collaboration would allow Sime Darby to assemble sports cars for the Malaysian market at first, with production scheduled to begin in 2022 “with the same rigorous standards and processes” as at European production sites.
“Great potential” seen on the Southeast Asian market
Detlev von Platen, member of the executive board for sales and marketing at Porsche, said in the statement that Malaysia and the whole of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was a region of “great potential.”
While Porsche did not reveal which models it would be producing in Malaysia, insiders pointed at the Macan and Cayenne as leading candidates to meet rising demand for sports utility vehicles in the region.
Porsche also said that it would set up a new permanent research and development center in China, but no assembly plant.
Most of the production remains in Germany
So far, Porsche did not operate any international assembly plants. Most cars are produced at its company headquarters in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, and also at a plant in Leipzig, Germany. But the carmaker has international collaborations, namely with the car plant of Volkswagen Group, its parent company, in Bratislava, Slovakia.
It also partners with Valmet Automotive from Finland, which acts as a contract producer for the Boxster and Cayman models, among others, depending on demand.
