Inokom Corporation (Inokom) has announced it will soon launch a new vehicle painting facility at its 200-acre site in Kulim, Kedah as it focuses on being the preferred automotive assembly partner in the ASEAN region.
The contract vehicle assembler has been operating for nearly three decades, with production first commencing in 1997. The company is currently majority owned by Sime Motors (51%), with other key shareholders being Sime Darby Hyundai (5%), Hyundai Motor Company of South Korea (15%) and Bermaz Auto (29%).
At present, Inokom produces vehicles for seven global automotive brands – namely BMW, MINI, Porsche, Mazda, Hyundai, Chery and Kia – for both the domestic market as well as export markets. While Kia is currently still part of the portfolio, it was announced earlier this month that the brand will transition local assembly (CKD) operations to Stellantis’ Gurun plant in Kedah.
Operating under a plant-within-a-plant concept, Inokom hosts dedicated assembly lines tailored to the specific technical and quality requirements of each brand. In its release, it pointed out that its Kulim site features integrated facilities like body shops, paint shops, assembly shops and centralised warehouses.
These are supported by a 100% Malaysian workforce comprising over 2,700 employees to date. In addition to vehicle assembly, Inokom engages with 370 local vendors to participate in its global supply chain, supporting the Malaysian automotive ecosystem. Over the years, production volumes have increased from 20,500 units in 2021 to over 31,800 units in 2025. Within this period, over 24,500 units have been exported to regional markets.
“Inokom is a testament to what Malaysian industry is capable of achieving. It continues to uphold the trust of world-leading automotive marques, and this speaks volumes about the depth of capability we have built here in Malaysia. This aligns closely with high-value, homegrown industrial strength that the national GEAR-uP agenda strives to nurture and sustain, particularly in advancing high-value manufacturing built on Malaysian expertise and capabilities that are competitive on the global stage,” said Sime’s group CEO Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson.
For a trip down memory lane, Inokom has been collaborating with Hyundai as far back as 1993. In 2000, the company expanded into commercial and passenger vehicle assembly, starting with the Inokom Lorimas (Hyundai Porter), which was followed by the Inokom Atos (Hyundai Atos) in 2002.
The first CKD Mazda 3 came later in 2011 and is deemed as one of the cornerstones of the facility’s operations. Since then, more models have left the assembly lines at the Inokom site, including those with BMW and MINI badges.
Inokom is also home to BMW Group’s third-largest engine assembly plant in the world, which was launched in 2018 and marked the continuation of a long-standing partnership with Sime beginning in 2003 that saw the German brand set up shop in Kulim since 2009.
Since 2018, over 11,800 BMW and MINI vehicles assembled at Inokom have been exported to the Philippines and Thailand. In 2022, the premium automaker rolled out its 100,000th vehicle produced at Inokom, and the i5 became the first fully electric BMW model to be assembled in Asia Pacific in 2026.
Another milestone came in 2021 when Porsche selected Inokom as its first assembly facility outside of Europe, with local assembly being expanded in 2024 to include exports to Thailand. Chery is the most recent addition to Inokom’s portfolio in 2023 and a year later, the Omoda E5 became Inokom’s first-ever electric vehicle (EV) assembly.
“The automotive landscape is changing rapidly, with new technologies, emerging markets and evolving expectations. We are committed to ensuring that Inokom stays ahead of the curve by continuously investing in our people, raising our standards and expanding our capabilities. As an industrial anchor in the NCER (Northern Corridor Economic Region), Inokom also continues to create meaningful opportunities, from developing high-value skills to supporting local businesses and contributing to the country’s broader economic resilience,” commented Jeffri.
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Yes because under PH we must always bow down to our foreign overlords who are the true control of the Gomen.
Don’t buy EV … u buy u sohai… WHY??? Because u dah kena scam by Gomen as buy EV pay more HIGHER TAX than Petrol car, (AI google compare price between country will tell) buy EV u get back ZERO SUBSIDY BUT kena pay full TNB while PETROL CAR user LOW TAX still enjoy PETROL SUBSIDY. (Eksais Duty 40-105% because low local EV part so EV tax very high)
Your are simply too sick and too tired to realise that Inokom had started its business of locally assembling motor vehicles of foreign brands over 20 years before the formation of PH. So, it did not start under PH.
I thought they only send scammers world wide…but now they are sending cytro to scam Malaysian mind in buying their tak laku garbage copy cat cars…helping their country to dump their cars here.
Gomen mini3rd VERY SOHAI policy when introducing EV, if I gomen I immediate lower tax made EV PRICE VERY LOW VERY CHEAP that VERY ATTRACTIVE to consumer SWAP TO EV to target >90% change to EV. Because gomen going to auto saving of 90% of RM3.5b monthly by no giving petrol subsidy. Because Tanya’s buy cheap EV car. (Thai rm60k EV range >400km BOLEHLANG rm60k EV 225km – sohai punya KM range who wanto buy- GONEN SHOULD CONE OUT STANDARD >400km minimum)
So masa dapan BMW boleh jual pada harga 100K RM kan?
370 local vendors for just 7 brands? no bangla or rohingya workers??
Claiming to be CKD is a bit overrated. Most of the bodies come fully welded and only assembly of engine and accessories takes place.
By that logic, CKD would only count if every manufacturing stage, including body welding, were performed locally. In reality, CKD exists on a spectrum, and the industry definition focuses on the degree of disassembly, local assembly operations, and local content rather than a single manufacturing process.
Which would you prefer? To be pedantic and have no local assembly because there is no economies of scale
OR
Allow an assembly plant that employs 2,000 Malaysians and provides income for 370 vendors while exporting cars to thrive and provide economic benefit and skills to workers who are just like you? Rakyat Malaysia.
Tahniah. Hope the BMW, Porsche & Mini pricing will become more cheaper and affordable to all Malaysians.
so what value does it create besides broken chery tiggo rear axle
This inokom factory in Gurun got lots of rats. Inokom pls check as some of cables in the car are being bitten by rats.
This is Madani Govt way of profiteering with the commercial sector to price the cars up to 200k at the expense of the rakyat. GOVT force Rakyat to cough out millions to pay them profitable.