Business as usual for Hyundai's CKD plant in Kulim despite new Indo plant

Earlier this month, we reported that Hyundai will be moving its Asia Pacific training centre and regional headquarters from Mutiara Damansara to Indonesia.

While this may seem like bad news for upcoming Hyundai models in Malaysia, it’s actually quite the opposite.

According a report by The Edge, Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd has confirmed that there will be more complete knock-down (CKD) projects in the pipeline as its product line-up grows in the future.

“HSDM has plans to introduce several fully imported models to the Malaysian market in 2021, followed by locally assembled SUV models in 2022. These award-winning models are highly anticipated models with great success in sales volume during their recent global launches,” a Sime Darby Motors spokesperson told The Edge.

The CKD plant in Kulim will continue assembling Hyundai models for the Malaysian market. At the moment, the plant only assembles the Hyundai Santa Fe; the rest of Hyundai’s line-up is imported from South Korea.

Following the introduction of the imported Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, and Hyundai Kona, HSDM has plans to introduce a few more CBU models later this year, followed by locally-assembled SUV models in 2022.

So what models can we expect from HSDM in the near future? Let's see.

• 2021 Hyundai Tucson: possibly CBU
• 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe: possibly CKD
• 2022 Hyundai Creta: possibly CKD