Porsche to Partner Sime Darby for First Assembly Plant Outside of Europe

Sime Darby’s motor vehicle production and assembly facility will be the first assembly plant of the German sports car manufacturer outside of Europe, with production scheduled to begin in 2022.

Sime Darby Motors, one of the leading automotive groups in Asia Pacific, has been a partner of choice for Porsche in Malaysia for the last 11 years, representing Porsche as its exclusive distributor and retailer for the sports car brand. 

“This partnership with Porsche marks a coming of age of our 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,” Sime Darby Berhad Group Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Jeffri Salim Davidson said. 

“The assembly portfolio is a key element in our growth strategy, and we are pleased to extend our relationship with Porsche from retail and distribution to include assembly,” he added. 

“Malaysia and the whole ASEAN is a region of great potential and we look forward to the first locally assembled models reaching our Malaysian customers next year,” said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “As Porsche is moving into a new era of mobility, Malaysia and the ASEAN region are gaining an increasing importance. This step now is part of a long-standing initiative to keep pace with rapidly evolving customer and market demands.” 

“Every Porsche assembled by Sime Darby will go through the same rigorous standards and processes as its European counterparts. Quality will be a shared key commitment between Porsche AG and Sime Darby to all our customers, in assembling Porsche vehicles. We will continue our close engagement with Porsche AG to ensure that we meet the Porsche standard every step of the way,” Dato’ Jeffri said.

Sime Darby’s vehicle production and assembly facility is today a partner of choice for some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated automotive brands. While a highly skilled Malaysian workforce drives Sime Darby’s assembly operations, which delivered 17,141 high-value units in FY2021, Sime Darby also partners with local vendors to provide seamless supply and production support. With this collaboration, Sime Darby has been able to play a role in helping to develop and promote local vendors and to boost the local economy.