Dinamikjaya Motors, a subsidiary of Bermaz Auto, held a Q&A session at the launch of the 2023 Kia Niro EV to address inquiries from the media, and one of the questions was whether there were any plans to locally assemble (CKD) the Kia Niro EV at the Inokom Plant in Kulim, Kedah.

The response from the company was: "Currently, there are no plans to assemble the Kia Niro EV at Inokom Plant."

Executive Chairman of Bermaz Auto, Dato’ Sri Ben Yeoh, said, “With the initiatives by the government to allow electric vehicles (EVs) to be imported without duty, we capitalise on that.”

As for the hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants of the Kia Niro, the company said that there are no plans to introduce the HEV or PHEV variants of the Kia Niro at the moment. However, if the market conditions are favourable, it will then be taken into consideration.

“Depending on the demand in the market for hybrids and plug-in hybrids as well as the total consumption in terms of the volume itself, we will look at the possibility of having it (Kia Niro) assembled locally,” Dato’ Sri Ben Yeoh said.

“We have a joint venture company with Kia, and they would also like to see more industrial activities conducted in Malaysia,” he pointed out. “Of course, this depends on the acceptance of the product(s), not only in the domestic market, but for the ASEAN region,” he added.

Also read: Bermaz: More price adjustments to come for all industry players due to supply chain challenges

Currently, the Kia Niro is available in Malaysia only in its EV form with a sole variant, fully imported (CBU) from Korea, priced at RM 256,668 (OTR without insurance).

The Kia Niro EV is equipped with a front-mounted electric motor and a 64.8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It has a power output of 204 PS and torque of 255 Nm. On a single charge, it offers a range of approximately 460 km, according to the WLTP cycle. The onboard charger supports up to 11 kW AC charging, while the DC charging capability is rated at up to 80 kW.

Also read: 2023 Kia Niro EV launched in Malaysia, from RM 256k, 204 PS/255 Nm, 460 km, V2L