Malaysian firm EP Manufacturing Berhad will assemble Chinese automaker Xpeng’s electric vehicles. Assembly of the G6 SUV starts by March next year.EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB) said on Monday that it had signed a deal to assemble Chinese automaker Xpeng’s G6 and X9 electric vehicle models at its facilities in Malacca state.
EPMB, a Malaysian manufacturer of auto components like plastic and aluminium body parts, said in a bourse filing that the assembly works for the G6 electric SUV were due to start by March 31 next year.
Production for the X9 minivan, including its Extended Range Electric Vehicle version, will begin by May 25, 2026, the company added.
Xpeng said on Friday that it was in talks to partner with EPMB on the mass production of electric vehicles, as it looks to make Malaysia a strategic base for its expansion across Southeast Asia.
Under the deal, Xpeng will commit to a monthly minimum order quantity while EPMB’s Malacca unit, PEPS-JV (Melaka) Sdn Bhd (PJVM), will be given a first right of offer for the assembly of three subsequent XPeng models, according to Monday’s filing.
The deal is expected to optimise the capacity of EPMB’s Malacca plant, diversify its automative client base and improve its position in the EV assembly sector, the company said.
Chinese automakers are increasingly looking to Malaysia as a manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia, after focusing previously on Thailand and Indonesia.
China’s biggest EV maker BYD in August announced plans to build an EV assembly plant in Malaysia’s Perak state, while the smaller Chinese player Leapmotor will also begin assembling its EVs at an existing Stellantis plant in Gurun, Kedah this year.
