Transmission plant to start production by late 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) expects to start construction of a plant that will produce locally-made electronic automatic transmission (EAT) systems for its cars by the fourth quarter.
Managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said Perodua vehicles’ EAT system was currently imported from technical partner Daihatsu Motor Co’s plant in Japan.
“We will be relocating the EAT facility from Japan to Malaysia,” he told a media briefing yesterday, adding that the relocation and construction of the plant would cost between RM200mil and RM300mil.
“We expect to begin production by the fourth quarter of 2012. For the first few years, the EAT system will be catered to the domestic market and then subsequently for export.
“This (the relocation of the plant to Malaysia) will help bring down our cost. It is part of our five-year road map to become more efficient and competitive.”
Aminar, said the company had yet to decide on the location of the facility but might consider near its production plant in Sungai Choh, Selangor.
According to reports, the EAT system – which helps improve fuel consumption and enables a smoother gear-shifting feel – is currently incorporated in the Perodua Myvi and Alza.