KULIM (March 28): Sime Darby Bhd and Porsche on Monday (March 28) unveiled the first locally assembled Cayenne for the domestic market.

The launch was held during the inauguration of the first assembly plant for Porsche vehicles outside Europe at Sime Darby's vehicle production and assembly facility in Kulim, Kedah.

The local assembly facility underscores Porsche's commitment to Malaysia as well as the ASEAN region, and demonstrates Sime Darby's dedication to expanding its high value assembly capabilities as a critical element of growth for its motors' business, according to the companies' joint statement.

Sime Darby Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson said the group is honoured by Porsche's continued confidence in Sime Darby as it delivers a product that meets Porsche's highest standards of quality, performance and driving experience.

"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," he said.

Albrecht Reimold, a member of the executive board for production and logistics at Porsche, said 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. Therefore, the new assembly facility is not only a benchmark in efficiency and quality, but also sustainability," Reimold said.

At the moment, there are no plans to develop or assemble electric vehicles at the plant or export them to other countries in the region as the focus is currently on Malaysia, according to Sime Darby Motors managing director Andrew Basham.

The locally assembled right-hand-drive Cayenne comes with an elevated and enhanced standard equipment range specified exclusively for the Malaysian market, with a specially-curated Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur option package and a special Porsche Design timepiece available for further personalisation. 

Porsche Malaysia, represented by Sime Darby Auto Performance Sdn Bhd, in collaboration with Shell and Porsche Asia Pacific, recently launched the first high-performance charging point at Shell Tangkak. This is the first of six locations between Johor and Penang that will form a high performance charging network that will be fully operational in the second quarter of this year. 

In addition, a new Porsche Centre is scheduled to open in Johor Bahru this year, that will complement the marque's existing facilities in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.