BYD Malaysia has appointed Sime Motors subsidiary Inokom Corporation as its contract assembly partner for completely knocked-down vehicles.
The electric vehicle company chose Inokom after assessing domestic market conditions and local manufacturing capabilities.
It cited Inokom’s infrastructure, operational record, and assembly workforce that are said to “provide a practical foundation for BYD Malaysia”.
The companies formalised the arrangement through a memorandum of understanding signed at BYD’s global headquarters in Shenzhen, China.
Liu Xueliang, vice president of BYD and general manager of the BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division, signed the MoU alongside Dato’ Jeffri Salim Davidson, group CEO of Sime.
BYD Malaysia managing director Jacob Ma said: “Local assembly is an important part of BYD's long-term commitment to Malaysia. Partnering with Sime to assemble at Inokom allows us to build on established automotive manufacturing capabilities as we progress our local assembly plans.
“We aim to bring BYD's expertise in new energy vehicles and battery technologies closer to the Malaysian market while contributing to the continued development of the local automotive industry.”
The agreement follows a September Nikkei Asia report that BYD had put aside plans for its own Malaysian production facility and would instead use an established local partner to meet domestic production targets.
BYD entered Malaysia’s automotive sector in December 2022 through a partnership with Sime Motors, launching the BYD Atto 3 all-electric sport utility vehicle.
Beyond Auto, a Sime Motors subsidiary, is the exclusive distributor of BYD passenger electric vehicles in Malaysia.
Further details and timelines for the local CKD assembly programme will be disclosed in due course.
Davidson added: “Beyond vehicle assembly, partnerships such as this create opportunities to strengthen Malaysia's automotive ecosystem, support local businesses and develop capabilities that can contribute to the industry's long-term growth. We look forward to working with BYD Malaysia to build on these strengths and create greater value for Malaysia's automotive sector.”
