BYD scraps Tanjung Malim CKD plant plans but local assembly remains on track

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — BYD Malaysia has announced it will not move forward with plans to construct a completely knocked-down (CKD) vehicle assembly plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak. However, the company has stated that its local assembly operations will continue as planned. BYD Malaysia's Managing Director, Jacob Ma, revealed that discussions regarding the establishment of CKD operations have moved to an advanced stage as the company shifts its focus towards finding the most suitable solution for Malaysia's automotive ecosystem.

This decision does not affect BYD's commitment to local assembly, as the company began discussions with vendors in the country last year. Ma stated, "We want to ensure BYD can move in tandem with the local automotive ecosystem and began discussions with vendors in the country last year. We want to see how we can work with them and become part of the existing ecosystem."

The company's Managing Director of Sime Motors, Adeline Lew, confirmed that current vehicle stocks are sufficient to meet market demand, although supplies for some models may be limited. She added that BYD remains closely monitoring and working with its dealer network to ensure customer needs are met. For now, BYD Malaysia does not plan to import vehicles from its Indonesian manufacturing facility to supplement supply to Malaysia in the short term, as the facility will initially prioritize the Indonesian market.

However, BYD Malaysia currently has no immediate plans to import vehicles from Indonesia unless there is a demand for specific models that cannot be met through existing supplies. In terms of long-term production capacity in the region, Jacob Ma emphasized that BYD's plans should be viewed from a perspective of 10 to 20 years, aligning with the company's strategy to develop greater production capacity in the region.

Regarding BYD Malaysia's business performance, Ma confirmed that the brand has sold more than 35,000 vehicles since its introduction in Malaysia, with over 7,500 units sold in the first half of this year.