Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) has allocated about RMY2bn (US$619m) to expand its current manufacturing operations in Sungai Choh.
Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said the new manufacturing facility, Perodua Global Manufacturing, will be adjacent to its existing plant.
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The spend will include a new plastic manufacturing plant as well as a 2.4km research and development test track, mosque, and childcare centre for employees.
Aminar added that Perodua was also building a 400-acre township.
He said: “We are looking into buying another 118 acres of land next to the current plant to complete the township project.”
The new plant is Perodua’s second, and will be the main pillar supporting the company’s export ambitions. It is expected to have an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles on a single shift with the possibility later to ramp up to 400,000 units annually.
The new factory is modelled on technical partner Daihatsu’s Nakatsu Plant No 2 in Kyushu, Japan and designed to be one of the most advanced in the region.
Aminar added that Perodua is expected to launch its new energy efficient vehicle (EEV) model in the second half of this year and that the carmaker is looking to defend its 30% domestic market share in a market where competition was getting tougher.
“If the trend of non-national vehicles segment goes up, which it will, it won’t be good for us. But we are doing something about it,” he said. “At least with whatever market share that we have been enjoying, we want to protect it.”
