BYD expands its wing in Malaysia with Sime Darby Motors

KUALA LUMPUR: BYD, a Chinese electric car manufacturer, has decided to enter the Malaysian Passenger Vehicle Market with Sime Darby Motors (SDM). Meaning SDM is now the official distributor of all BDY products in the country.

The news was confirmed via a distribution agreement signing ceremony between the two companies. Present at the signing ceremony was SDM Malaysia’s managing director of retail & distribution, Jeffrey Gan and managing director, Andrew Basham. From BYD were BYD Malaysia Sdn Bhd and PT BYD Motor Indonesia, managing director, Eagle Zhao and its Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division general manager, Lui Xueliang.

Under the said agreement, SDM will be seen distributing BYD’s ATTO 3 and new e6 models. Note, no timeframe has been specified yet.

As per Basham, the distribution agreement is in line with the group’s sheer commitment to the encouragement of EVs in the Malaysian market. During the ceremony he said, "We are pleased to welcome BYD to our stable of world-class brands, enabling us to continue growing our EV pipeline of models. BYD is the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles and this partnership will bring BYD’s expertise to the Malaysian market through a wide range of EV models."

“Our collaboration with BYD is one of the steps Sime Darby Motors is taking towards our aim of becoming a leader in EV. This is also aligned with the Malaysian government’s push towards low carbon mobility.”

BYD, on the other hand, saw Malaysia as a potential EV market, thus a chance for it to grow and evolve. “Given its proven track record and well-established presence in the automotive sector in the Asia Pacific region, we look forward to partnering with Sime Darby Motors to serve Malaysia’s growing EV demand,” said Liu.

On a similar note, it was only recently that Proton announced Proton New Energy Technology Sdn Bhd (PRO-NET). It is a company dedicated to the sales & distribution of smart vehicles and the brand's future ‘new energy vehicle’. In August, a distribution agreement was signed by Proton with smart Automobile Co that will look into the sale and survival of EVs in Malaysia and Thailand.
The first model to be introduced under the new firm will be the smart #1 and the company is currently laying the foundation for the same.

Do you think such collaborations and efforts by automakers will build a strong EV foundation in Malaysia? Let us know in the comments.

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