Tan Chong Motor to pump in RM211 million into Myanmar business, to build new assembly plant

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Back in September 2013, it was reported that Tan Chong Motor Holdings (TCM) was set to construct an assembly plant in Myanmar to build small passenger cars and pickup trucks for the market.

Two years on, the plant is finally due to be built, The Malaysian Reserve reports. The 50-acre facility will be located in Bago, Myanmar, and will assemble completely knocked-down (CKD) models of B-segment cars, presumably led by the Almera, when it begins operations in 2018

The assembly plant is part of TCM’s plans to expand its Myanmar business, in which it is due to to invest US$50 million (RM211 million) over the next three years.

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Edaran Tan Chong Motor executive director Datuk Dr Ang Bon Beng told the publication that the company was currently finalising the securing of the land with the government of Myanmar, with the deal expected to completed by Q1 next year. He added that the plant in Myanmar will operate on a small scale basis, producing cars at a rate of three per hour.

Earlier in the month, it was reported that a five-year distribution agreement had been officially signed between Tan Chong Motor (Myanmar) and Nissan. Aside from obtaining the rights to distribute and sell Nissan vehicles, the distribution agreement also allowed TCM Myanmar the right to appoint dealers to sell vehicles and perform after-sales service operations on Nissan vehicles.

Tan Chong’s Myanmar unit was reported to have first gained the exclusive rights back in July 2013, but the latest agreement looks to finally cement the deal. Distribution is set to begin in June next year, according to Ang, who added that the focus for the first three years be on semi knocked-down (SKD) activities until the factory is in place to commence CKD operations.

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • Malaysia Losing to Thailand on Nov 30, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    Yet another blow to Malaysians and a few thousand or maybe tens of thousands jobs are lost because our Ministers believe in crony practice.

    Malaysians have already suffered so much. For 30 years, 30 million people suffer so much. We struggle paying for our high car prices all because of one man’s dream of benefiting his friends and relatives through the AP system and the government protecting Proton.

    Malaysia was on its way to becoming the Detroit of Asia in the 90s. But the AP system cost us hundreds of billions in ringgit in investments from car companies who moved to Thailand and Indonesia. Car companies got fed up with Malaysia’s MITI for protecting Proton and telling other companies what to price their cars. They got sick and tired of the AP system and how genuine brands cannot get enough APs to import their cars in (like Mercedes, BMW and Honda).

    They thought that if they set up their brands and plants in Malaysia, they knew they had to share the pool of APs with the cronies and they knew 90% of all APs go to the cronies. They all moved their operations to Thailand making it the AutoCity of the world.

    Recently GM announced that they rolled out already 1 million cars from Thailand. Imagine if GM was in Malaysia and we taxed GM RM10,000 per car. Calculate that with 1 million cars. Just from GM alone, we lost Billions in USD. Imagine what will the amount be from other car companies if they had set up in Malaysia?

    Because of Mahathir and his AP system, as well as Proton, we lost hundreds of billion of ringgit in investment and trillions of ringgit from jobs lost. If Malaysia was the autocity of Asia, hundreds of thousands of jobs would have been created for Malaysians. We lost all that. Trillions of Ringgit and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now, Thailand is benefiting from this trillions lost.

    So, in summary, the 30 PEKEMA AP members and Proton have solely caused Malaysia to lose trillions in investments.
    A word of caution to the idiots at MAI and the idiots in MITI, Malaysia might even lose existing companies who are already CKDing in Malaysia. BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Honda and Toyota might even close up their plants in Malaysia to open up in Thailand.

    This is so worrisome. Despite Thailand and Myanmar having an unstable economy with riots and bombing, no stable government, yet car companies still prefer Thailand to Malaysia. Makes us wonder…..what is wrong with Malaysia?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 3
    • Only 3rd world country ppl will buy Nissan …

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
    • Whats wrong with Malaysia? Not enuff population, ie market not big enuff to attract large scale assemblies

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • hgdckmhgk on Nov 30, 2015 at 7:15 pm

    funded by us..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • Albert on Nov 30, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    Look at Tan Chong…Bravo.
    Ever searching,sacrificing…just for survival and growth.
    Tun should send his bunch of LAZY Protong staff to the Tan Chong Academy Of Hard Knocks.Instead those bunch of EVERLASTING PERLINDUNGAN dependents keep asking for GOMEN grants year in year out,like Myanmar professional beggars.
    Shambolic and pathetic…Protong.
    Keep it Up,magnificent Tan Chong.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 3
  • Moveon on Dec 01, 2015 at 2:21 am

    Not sure what the reason Tan Chong and Nissan bet their investment on fragile/fail country.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
  • azrai on Dec 01, 2015 at 8:21 am

    SKD means the whole car is 90% complete from Serendah plant and transport to Myanmar to get a fresh set of wheels.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
    • Malaysia still benefits, but some pipu still says we losing out. Haiz

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Ribu ribu tahniah on Dec 01, 2015 at 9:50 am

    Syabas to MAI and DrM father of Myanmar automotive industry.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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