KUALA LUMPUR: UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd today announced that a second manufacturing plant for Toyota passenger cars costing RM2 billion will be built in Malaysia.
Work on the plant in the Bukit Raja Industrial Estate in Klang will commence in the second half of 2016 and set to be completed in early 2019, said Tatsuro Takami, managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation.
"In order to meet customers' growing demand, Toyota with UMW Group and UMW Motor Sdn Bhd have decided to level up our production to ensure operation efficiency and cost competitiveness."
UMW Toyota Motor deputy chairman Akio Takeyama expects to start operation of manufacturing passenger cars including models that meet Energy Efficient Vehicle criteria in early 2019.
"The initial production of the new plant will be 50,000 units per year."
The current UMWT plant in Shah Alam will continue its operation although part of the current passenger car line will be shifted to the new plant.
In total, UMWT will have a combined production volume of approximately 90,000 to 100,000 units from both plants annually.