The Malay Mail says that mass production of the first Inokom Atos, another "locally-manufactured" car based on the five-year-old South Korean Hyundai Atos, has started.

The car is a collaboration between local assembler Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd and Hyundai Motor Corporation of South Korea, which is supplying the parts.

The vehicles will be produced at Inokom's plant in Kulim, Kedah, at a rate of 600 to 700 units a month.

The car, to be launched next month, has a one-litre engine and Inokom is targeting a production rate of 1,500 units a month by early next year. About 40% of its components are locally sourced.

The Atos, whose folding back seat allows it to be turned into a minivan, is the first “multi-function” vehicle to be manufactured by Inokom, the national manufacturer of light commercial trucks and vans. It is also the contract assembler of other vehicles, the report said.