Inokom Corporation plans a new paint facility in Kedah as it strengthens its role as a preferred ASEAN automotive assembly partner.
Inokom Corporation is set to launch a new advanced painting facility at its 200-acre manufacturing site in Kulim, Kedah, as it looks to strengthen its position as a preferred automotive assembly partner in ASEAN.
The company, which operates under Sime Darby Berhad’s Motors division, has been involved in vehicle assembly for close to three decades. Production at the Kulim facility first commenced in 1997.
Today, Inokom produces vehicles for six global automotive brands, namely BMW, MINI, Porsche, Mazda, Hyundai and Chery. These cover major automotive ecosystems from Germany, Japan, Korea and China, with vehicles built for both the domestic market and selected ASEAN export markets.
The Kulim facility includes body shops, paint shops, assembly shops and centralised warehouses. It also operates under a plant-within-a-plant concept, where dedicated assembly lines are tailored to the technical and quality requirements of each brand.
Inokom says its operations are supported by a 100% Malaysian workforce of more than 2,700 employees. The company also works with 370 local vendors, including Bumiputera enterprises, as part of its wider supply chain.
Production volumes have also increased in recent years, rising from 20,500 units in 2021 to over 31,800 units in 2025. Over the same period, Inokom exported more than 24,500 units to regional markets.
According to Sime Group chief executive officer Dato’ Jeffri Salim Davidson, Inokom reflects what Malaysian industry is capable of achieving, particularly in high-value manufacturing built on local expertise and capabilities.
Inokom’s relationship with Hyundai dates back to 1993, before the facility expanded into commercial and passenger vehicle assembly in 2000 with the Inokom Lorimas, based on the Hyundai Porter. This was followed by the Inokom Atos in 2002.
Mazda has also been one of Inokom’s longest-standing assembly partners. The first locally assembled Mazda 3 was launched in 2011, marking one of the key milestones for the facility’s operations.
Another major milestone came in 2021, when Porsche selected Inokom as its first assembly facility outside Europe. Porsche local assembly at Inokom was later expanded in 2024 to include exports to Thailand.
Chery joined Inokom’s assembly portfolio in 2023, with the Kulim facility now producing models from the Omoda and Tiggo series. This also includes the Chery Omoda E5, which became Inokom’s first-ever electric vehicle assembly.
Inokom is also home to a BMW Group engine assembly plant, which supplies engines directly to BMW’s assembly operations at the site. The BMW engine facility is described as the third-largest BMW engine assembly plant in the world.
Since 2018, more than 11,800 BMW and MINI vehicles assembled at Inokom have been exported to the Philippines and Thailand. BMW also produced its 100,000th vehicle at Inokom in 2022.
More recently, the BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport assembled at Inokom became the first fully electric BMW model to be assembled in Asia Pacific in 2026.
Inokom also holds internationally recognised certifications in quality, safety and environmental management. It has received several industry recognitions, including the Industry Excellence Award from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in 2018, the High Productivity Enterprise Using Local Workers award from the Malaysia Productivity Corporation in 2019, and the Kedah State Appreciation Award in 2026.
Beyond assembly, Inokom says it is also investing in workforce development through training programmes covering advanced automotive manufacturing technologies, leadership development and technical upskilling across electrical systems, diagnostics and quality compliance.
Dato’ Jeffri added that the automotive landscape is changing rapidly, with new technologies, emerging markets and evolving expectations. He said Inokom is committed to staying ahead by investing in its people, raising its standards and expanding its capabilities.
