BYD Tg Malim plant cancelled, to go with local CKD partner instead; “we are here to stay” – BYD Malaysia MD

Last week, it was reported that BYD planned to reveal its EV development plan for Malaysia this week, answering the long-awaited question of whether local assembly was going to proceed and the route it would take should that happen.

As indicated by BYD vice-president and general manager of its Asia Pacific auto sales division, Liu Xueliang, when asked whether BYD would work with a local partner or set up its own manufacturing operations here, he said that the answer would come within a week.

The answer to that has come, although not in full, with the brand only confirming that it will go the CKD route. However, that will not be on its own as originally intended, with the company stating that its planned Tanjong Malim facility will not happen. This was revealed by BYD Malaysia MD Jacob Ma last night, during the official introduction of the BYD Atto 3 Performance.

“To clear the air on this, the Tanjong Malim facility will not proceed. However, this decision does not mean that BYD has cancelled its plans for local assembly in Malaysia. Our commitment to local assembly remains,” he told the media at a Q&A session following the launch event.

“We are working with an established local assembly partner that has the capacity and the capabilities to meet BYD’s requirements and can support our full local assembly operations. Discussions are already at a very advanced stage and we are finishing the necessary documentation, and we will make an official announcement once everything is in place,” he said, adding that the identity of the local partner could not be revealed until the deal is inked.

Ma added that while plans might have evolved, the company’s intention remained all the same. “We continue to see Malaysia as an important market and strategic part of BYD’s growth in the future. Plans might evolve, locations might change, and strategies might be refined, but what remains constant is our commitment to this market. We will continue to invest,” he said.

In August 2025, BYD confirmed plans for its own CKD plant in Tanjong Malim, Perak, but there have been no updates on it in recent times – as of last month, MITI said no official decision had been made on the plant.

Meanwhile, the contract-assembly route has been gathering steam, following Liu’s visit to the Sime Motors Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah in May, which hinted heavily at Sime Motors becoming BYD’s local contract-assembly partner, an arrangement that would sit well with MITI’s preference for EV makers to work with local partners rather than build new factories of their own.

Adding further to that direction, it was reported that Sime Motors’ leadership team visited BYD’s Shenzhen headquarters last week for talks on “strategic priorities and areas of mutual interest.”

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