KULIM: Inokom Corp Sdn Bhd is focused on its vision to be the preferred automotive assembly partner in the Asean region.
The company said the upcoming launch of a new advanced painting facility is expected to further strengthen operational capacity.
Over close to three decades, Inokom has grown into one of Malaysia’s established automotive contract assemblers.
Operating from its 200-acre facility in Kulim, Kedah, within the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), Inokom is a key pillar of Sime Darby Bhd’s motors business.
Inokom produces vehicles for six global automotive brands spanning major automotive ecosystems – from Germany (BMW, MINI, Porsche), Japan (Mazda), Korea (Hyundai) and China (Chery) – serving both the domestic market and selected Asean region markets.
Its integrated facilities span body shops, paint shops, assembly shops and centralised warehouses, supported by a 100% Malaysian workforce of more than 2,700 skilled employees to date.
Production volumes have grown significantly, rising from 20,500 units in 2021 to over 31,800 units in 2025.
Over this period, Inokom has exported a total of over 24,500 units to regional markets.
Sime’s group CEO Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson said, “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.”
Inokom's credentials as a trusted assembly partner for global automotive brands are well established.
The collaboration between Hyundai and Inokom began as early as 1993.
In 2000, the facility expanded into commercial and passenger vehicle assembly, starting with the Inokom Lorimas (Hyundai Porter), followed by the Inokom Atos in 2002.
Mazda, one of Inokom's longest-standing assembly partners and a key joint venture partner, launched its first locally assembled Mazda 3 in 2011, making it the only completely knocked down assembly plant in the Asean region at the point of time.
In 2021, Porsche selected Inokom as its first assembly facility outside of Europe.
Local assembly was subsequently expanded in 2024 to include exports to Thailand.
Chery’s arrival in 2023 as an assembly partner further broadened Inokom’s portfolio, positioning it as a production base for models such as the Omoda and Tiggo series, including the Chery Omoda E5, Inokom's first-ever electric vehicle (EV) assembly.
Inokom is also home to an Engine Assembly Plant for the BMW Group, supplying engines directly to the premium automaker’s assembly facility, which was established in partnership with Sime in 2003 and has been located at Inokom since 2009.
The plant is the third-largest BMW engine assembly plant in the world.
Since 2018, the BMW Group has exported more than 11,800 BMW and MINI vehicles assembled at Inokom to the Philippines and Thailand.
Adding to this milestone, the premium automaker rolled out its 100,000th vehicle produced at Inokom in 2022.
More recently in 2026, the BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport assembled at Inokom became the first fully electric BMW model to be assembled in Asia Pacific.
Operating under a unique Plant-within-a-Plant concept, Inokom hosts dedicated assembly lines tailored to the specific technical and quality requirements of each principal, adhering to customised quality systems.
Beyond its assembly capabilities, Inokom actively supports Malaysia's automotive supply chain through 370 local vendors including Bumiputera enterprises to participate in its global supply chain, supporting the Government's GEAR-uP agenda for inclusive growth.
