Mazda rolls out RM87m paint plant in Kulim
Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MMSB) has invested about RM87 million to bring the latest Mazda premium paint process to its Kulim Plant in producing premium-quality cars for the Asean market.
Mazda Motor Corporation (MMC) managing executive officer Masatoshi Maruyama said Mazda sees Malaysia as an important production base in the region and since the establishment of Mazda Malaysia and a joint venture production & sales company with Bermaz Motor and Inokom, it has developed a sturdy local production system.
“We have always worked together to make high quality cars at the Malaysia plant, but now we have decided to give the Mazda production line and everybody involved in making our cars a name that will help us pull together even more as a team and that name is Mazda Kulim Plant.
“Under this name, Mazda will work as one with our business partners to make this a plant to be proud of and provide customers with high quality Mazda cars,” he said in his speech at the roll-out ceremony of its all-new CX-5 model and the launch of its new paint shop operation at the Kulim Plant yesterday.
Masatoshi said with the launch of the paint operation at the plant, it will enable the production of models in designer colours like Soul Red Crystal and Machine Gray, Mazda colours which are highly sought after globally.
These new high-grade colours are available for the first time in locally assembled Mazda models with the setting up of this new paint operation facility.
Another colour offered in the all-new CX5 model is Snow Flake White Pearl Mica.
The establishment of the new paint operation also makes the Kulim Plant synchronise with the Mazda Plant in Japan.
MMSB president Shinji Sakatani said the all-new CX-5 model will be ready for export starting next month. The new model was rolled out in a glittering ceremony attended by business partners, close associates, special guests and members of the media.
Shinji said Mazda is strengthening its production capacity and will undertake to deliver the newest model in premium quality to the Asean market such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar.
The new CX-5 comes in five variants, namely 2.0 GL SkyActiv-G; 2.0 GLS SkyActiv-G; 2.5 GLS SkyActiv-G; 2.2 GLS SkyActiv-D 2WD and 2.2 GLS SkyActiv-D AWD. They are all assembled at the Kulim Plant and the on-the-road price ranges from RM134,605 to RM175,179 (without insurance).
Apart from maintaining the features of its SkyActiv technology and Kodo design, all engines in the new model come with a standard 6-speed automatic transmission.
It features Mazda’s latest G-Vectoring Control Technology in all variants of the latest CX-5, fully loaded with the latest features including high-quality steering, handling as well as the NVH performance feature that enables the passengers to enjoy the drive as much as the driver.
MMSB started its production in Malaysia in 2012 as a key production base in the region, and in a short span of time, has managed to produce more than 40,000 units for Malaysia and Thailand.
Mazda managing executive officer in charge of Asean business Hiroshi Inoue noted that customers in the Asean market are constantly raising the bar for Mazda.
He said Mazda sees that as its mission to offer value that exceeds the customers’ expectations and the locally assembled new CX-5 is just the model to do that.