Any deal that is the opposite of what usually happens is a good thing in the Malaysian car industry. Usually its Thailand that exports cars to Malaysia. This is a good thing in some ways.
PRESS RELEASE
INOKOM ASSEMBLES AND EXPORTS
HYUNDAI ELANTRA TO THAILAND
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - L-R Hideki Yanagisawa, Rizal Jailan, HK Kim
sealed a deal with Hyundai Motor (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (HMC Thailand), will assemble
and export 1,000 units of the Elantra, Hyundai’s popular C-segment passenger car to
Thailand in the first year.
Currently, the Elantra Nu1.8L is the only model that is being exported to Thailand.
HMC Thailand offers three versions of the Elantra 1.8L in Thailand namely the 1.8
GLS Navi, 1.8 GLE and 1.8 GL. The Elantra 1.8L is in fact the first mass-oriented
passenger car product to be offered to Thai consumers by Hyundai Motor (Thailand).
Inokom, a subsidiary of Sime Darby Motors, started assembling and exporting the
first 200 units of the Hyundai Elantra since June this year. It has just rolled out
another 200 units, which will be shipped to Thailand in early September. The number
of units for export to Thailand is expected to increase in tandem with market demand
as the Malaysian-assembled model is being priced cheaper due to the ASEAN Free
Trade Area Agreement (AFTA).
“With the introduction of this new Inokom-assembled Elantra in Thailand, we expect
its popularity to soar rapidly following the competitive pricing resulting from the
ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) scheme,” said Mr Hideki Yanagisawa of
Hyundai Motor (Thailand). The introductory prices for the Elantra now start from
THB749,000 for the entry 1.8 GL automatic. The mid-range 1.8 GLE and the top-end
1.8 GLS Navi are introduced at THB819,000 and THB898,000 respectively
“Though this is our first collaboration with Inokom, we look forward to future
collaborations and possibly, for the other Hyundai models as well,” added Mr
According to Inokom’s Managing Director, En. Rizal Jailan, the collaboration with
Hyundai Motor (Thailand) could open up more export business opportunities for
Inokom, especially for locally assembled Hyundai models.
“We have proven our capabilities and we have vast experience in producing high
quality vehicles. We place emphasis on quality, productivity and efficiency and this
will ensure that we remain competitive in both the domestic and export markets. We
are confident that our track record and reputation in producing quality vehicles will
help the product’s success in Thailand.,” said En Rizal.
He added that Inokom was looking forward to a long-term working relationship with
HMC Thailand and also actively looking and evaluating other business opportunities
in the ASEAN market.
With the export initiative, Inokom hopes to further cement its support for the new
National Automotive Policy (NAP), by developing new vendors and increasing the
participation of existing local vendors.
Inokom’s vehicle assembly plant, which measures 100 acres of built-up area out of
200 acres of land, has an output capacity of 27,000 CKD (Complete Knock Down)
vehicles a year. Apart from the Elantra, Inokom also assembles the 7-seater Santa
Fe SUV and compact passenger car i10 for the domestic market that is distributed by
Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors.
About Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd
Inokom is involved in the assembly and manufacturing of light commercial vehicles as well as
contract assembly. Its manufacturing facility is located in Padang Meha, Kulim, occupying 200
acres of freehold land. Production first commenced in August 1997.
The Company is owned by a consortium of corporate shareholders namely Sime Darby
Berhad (51%), Pesumal (M) Sdn Bhd (14%), Hyumal Motor Sdn Bhd (5%), Hyundai Motor
Company of South Korea (15%) and Berjaya Group Berhad (15%).
Inokom started with the Malaysian National Commercial Vehicles (“MNCV”) project which
produced the Permas and Lorimas models, following technology transfer from Renault and
Hyundai respectively.
Inokom started manufacturing Hyundai’s micro multi-functional vehicles (MFV) in September
2002. The agreement was finalised upon the signing of the Technical Licence Agreement in
March 2002. Since then, Inokom had produced various products at the Kulim assembly plant.
The models range from passenger to commercial vehicles and the marketing and distribution
of Inokom products is handled by Hyundai Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd.
About Hyundai Motor (Thailand) Co. Ltd.
Hyundai Motor (Thailand) is a subsidiary of Sojitz Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading
conglomerates and distributor of Hyundai vehicles and other leading brands in several
country around the world. The company stated its business in Thailand in 2007 with a task
of reviving the Hyundai brand using quality strength, technology and value for money as
substantial market attraction. For almost 7 years, Hyundai Motor (Thailand) has delivered
over 22,000 vehicles to their proud owners with the best-selling model being the Starex,
Tucson, Sonata and Veloster.
Most of Hyundai vehicles marketed in Thailand are coming from Korea and Indonesia. The
Elantra from Malaysia is the first passenger car product to be imported from the ASEAN.
About Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd
Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd (HSDM) is a subsidiary of Sime Darby Motors. HSDM
is now the sole distributor and exclusive importer of all Hyundai completely built-up and
locally assembled vehicles and related spare parts. HSDM’s complete car line-up includes the
i10, i30, Elantra, Veloster, Tucson, Sonata, i40, Santa Fe, and Grand Starex Royale.
No comments:
Post a Comment