Stellantis – the result of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Groupe PSA merger – has secured full ownership of Naza Automotive Manufacturing (NAM) and its manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah.
This completed acquisition solidifies Stellantis’ commitment to Malaysia and marks a significant milestone for the carmaker in South East Asia – it “plans to invest and dramatically expand its footprint as part of a robust localisation strategy,” Stellantis said in a statement today.
“Stellantis is deeply committed to growing our presence in ASEAN, and taking full ownership and responsibility of the plant in Gurun, Kedah is a very important step towards strengthening our operations, production outputs and workforce in the region,” said Christophe Musy, senior VP of ASEAN and general distributors at Stellantis.
“We have an ambitious growth strategy that will enable us to build on the existing production outputs in Gurun, as well as extend the breadth of brands and models within the Stellantis portfolio built in ASEAN for ASEAN. This is a very exciting proposition. We are focused on our mission to achieve world-class manufacturing in Gurun, to build high-quality, Malaysian-produced vehicles for South East Asia,” he added.
Stellantis recently restarted manufacturing in the northern state, with the launch of the refreshed Peugeot 3008 and 5008 currently rolling out across the ASEAN region. Next up is the second-generation Peugeot 2008, which will commence production this month. Like the larger SUVs, the 2008 will also be exported across the region. No mention of Citroen or DS models, which have been spotted testing on our roads.
The company says that the Gurun plant has achieved pre-pandemic production rates since it restarted operations, with volumes now ramping up for the remainder of 2021 to re-establish supply to Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and other ASEAN markets. The factory’s capacity is 70,000 units per year.
“We are working closely with our partners to increase plant capacity by almost 40% to meet demand, and this combined with our strong product plan and determination to achieve the highest standards in quality and safety has set us up for great success in Malaysia,” Musy said, adding that over 170 employees have returned to work and Stellantis is currently working with over 50 local suppliers.
Peugeot’s Malaysian distributor is now Bermaz, known for its association with Mazda. Bermaz also took the Kia brand this year. Both Peugeot and Kia were previously under the stewardship of Naza.
The new Peugeot 2008 was recently spotted roaming on our roads – check out the B-segment SUV here. The Malaysian-made facelifted 3008 was launched in Indonesia and Thailand last month – Malaysia should be next. Click on the links to see what our neighbours get.
GALLERY: Peugeot 3008 facelift 
The post Stellantis takes full ownership of Naza’s Gurun plant, makes it ASEAN hub – CKD Peugeot 2008 this month appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
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