Audi in Malaysia knows that they need to have local assembly of their vehicles like BMW and Mercedes to compete on price and the obtain the mighty powerful EEV (energy efficient vehicle) status for tax exemptions. Audi AG factory management have visited Malaysia in the past….a few times to view assembly facilities in Pekan but they returned unimpressed with the facilities to suit their high assembly and paint finish standards. This was even before Volkswagen Malaysia started local assembly in the country.
Now Audi Malaysia is visiting the Oriental Assemblers (former Kah Motor, Honda factory) facility in Johor and are in discussions with the new factory owners on local assembly. This could signal to introduction of plug-in hybrid and full electric Audi vehicles in Malaysia and the possibility of taking some of the ‘sales thunder’ from Mercedes-Benz.
