Inokom has issued a summary of just how many brands rely on them for assembly services in Malaysia.
Over nearly three decades, Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd (Inokom) has solidified its position as one of Malaysia’s premier automotive contract assemblers. Operating from a massive 200-acre facility in Kulim, Kedah, located within the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), the company serves as a vital industrial pillar of Sime Darby Berhad’s Motors division.
Earning the trust of leading global brands, Inokom currently manufactures vehicles for six automotive marques spanning diverse international ecosystems: BMW, MINI, and Porsche (Germany), Mazda (Japan), Hyundai (Korea), and Chery (China). The plant caters to both the Malaysian domestic market and highly competitive export destinations across the ASEAN region.
Record Production Volumes Driven by Local Talent
Inokom’s production footprint has expanded rapidly. Annual manufacturing volumes rose significantly from 20,500 units in 2021 to over 31,800 units in 2025. Over this exact period, the company exported more than 24,500 vehicles to regional markets, cementing its status as one of Malaysia’s largest automotive exporters.
A Rich History of Global Milestones
The facility’s long-standing assembly credentials boast several historic breakthroughs for the Malaysian automotive sector:
- Hyundai & Mazda Foundation: Collaborations with Hyundai began as early as 1993, later birthing local commercial and passenger runs like the Lorimas and Atos. In 2011, Mazda launched its first locally assembled Mazda 3 at the site, which stood at the time as the only completely knocked down (CKD) Mazda assembly plant in the ASEAN region.
- Porsche’s First European Outpost: In 2021, Porsche selected Inokom as its first-ever assembly facility outside of Europe. This landmark local operation expanded further in 2024 to initiate vehicle exports to Thailand.
- Chery’s EV Footprint: Chery joined the portfolio in 2023, setting up lines for its Omoda and Tiggo crossover series. This includes the rollout of the Chery Omoda E5, which marked Inokom’s first-ever fully electric vehicle (EV) assembly line.
A Global Engine Hub for BMW Group
Inokom is also home to a state-of-the-art Engine Assembly Plant for the BMW Group, supplying powertrains directly to the premium brand’s on-site vehicle assembly line established in 2003. Notably, this facility stands as the third-largest BMW engine assembly plant anywhere in the world.
Since 2018, the group has exported more than 11,800 BMW and MINI vehicles from Kulim to Thailand and the Philippines, having celebrated its 100,000th cumulative vehicle milestone in 2022. More recently in 2026, the plant achieved another major regional milestone by rolling out the BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport, marking it as the very first fully electric BMW model to be assembled in the Asia Pacific region.
The Unique “Plant-within-a-Plant” Operational Concept
To accommodate widely varying technical blueprints, Inokom utilizes a specialized Plant-within-a-Plant concept. This configuration hosts independent, dedicated assembly lines tailored to the specific quality management systems and engineering thresholds of each individual manufacturer.
The company’s inclusive growth strategy directly supports 370 local and Bumiputera vendors by integrating them tightly into its global supply chain network. Looking toward the future, Inokom plans to solidify its regional competitiveness through the upcoming launch of a brand-new, advanced painting facility.
