Porsche To Build Plant In Malaysia, More Affordable Porsches For PH?

What used to just a rumor a few months ago has just been confirmed today. Porsche will build a manufacturing plant in Malaysia, with production slated to begin in 2022. Does this mean we can expect affordable Porsches for the Philippine market soon?

Not quite. Porsche is partnering with Sime Darby Motors, one of the leading automotive groups in Asia Pacific. Sime Darby Motors has been a partner of choice for Porsche in Malaysia for the last 11 years. The new manufacturing plant is a first for Porsche outside Europe. For now, the new plant will only produce Porsches for the Malaysian market only.

“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.