XPeng announced on Friday that the first locally assembled G6 electric SUV has rolled off the production line at EP Manufacturing Berhad’s plant in Melaka, Malaysia.
Assembly takes place at EPMB’s facility in the HICOM Pegoh Industrial Park in Melaka state under a completely knocked-down model, where component kits shipped from China are completed locally.
“The first locally assembled XPeng G6 rolls off the line at EPMB Malaysia,” the company wrote on X. “A new milestone in XPeng‘s ASEAN journey as we bring intelligent mobility to more users across the region.”
XPeng described Malaysia as its third overseas assembly project globally and its second in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia.
From Agreement to Assembly
XPeng and EPMB formalized the arrangement on December 12, 2025, through a Framework Assembly Agreement and a Vehicle Assembly Agreement.
The deal covers the assembly of both the G6 SUV and the X9 MPV.
EPMB’s wholly-owned subsidiary PEPS-JV (Melaka) Sdn Bhd serves as the contract assembler, according to a Bursa Malaysia filing at the time.
Under the original timeline, G6 production was scheduled to begin by March 31, 2026, followed by the X9 MPV — including its extended-range PowerX variant — by May 25, 2026.
G6 assembly is expected to run through December 30, 2027, while X9 production is projected to continue into the first quarter of 2028, per the filing.
EPMB has also secured a first right of offer to assemble three future XPeng models in Malaysia on an exclusive basis.
Bermaz Auto, XPeng‘s official Malaysian distributor since March 2024, holds an 11.5% stake in EPMB through its subsidiary Bermaz Capital.
The cross-shareholding structure helped facilitate the partnership, under which EPMB’s assembly subsidiary charges a per-vehicle fee covering fixed costs and variable surcharges.
Malaysia as a Right-Hand-Drive Hub
XPeng entered the Malaysian market in August 2024 through Bermaz Xpeng, opening its first showroom in Glenmarie, Kuala Lumpur.
The company offers both the G6 and X9 MPV there.
Malaysia’s tax exemptions for fully imported electric vehicles expired on December 31, 2025.
Locally assembled EVs, however, continue to enjoy excise-duty exemptions through the end of 2027 — a policy gap that makes CKD operations a near-requirement for competitive pricing in the market.
At the time of the December announcement, XPeng‘s Vice President James Wu called the Malaysian production project “a significant milestone in XPENG’s global strategy” and said it underscored the company’s “long-term commitment to the ASEAN region.”
EPMB Founder and Executive Chairman Hamidon bin Abdullah described the deal as combining “EPMB’s over four decades of automotive manufacturing excellence and local insights with XPeng‘s cutting-edge intelligence and electrification innovations.”
Overseas Production Project
Malaysia represents one of XPeng‘s three overseas assembly initiatives.
In Indonesia, the company assembles the X9 at Handal Indonesia Motor’s plant in Purwakarta, West Java, serving left-hand-drive markets across the archipelago.
XPeng acquired a 90% stake in that Indonesian manufacturing entity in May 2026 to deepen control over production capacity.
In Europe, XPeng partnered late last year with Magna Steyr to assemble the G6 and G9 from semi-knocked-down kits at Magna’s facility in Graz, Austria.
Earlier this week, founder and CEO He Xiaopeng said that a fourth model will soon enter production at the Austrian plant, though the company did not specify which vehicle.
The three-region setup underpins what XPeng calls its “triangular architecture” expansion strategy, spanning China, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Last January, the company announced it would establish dedicated supply chain teams in both Europe and ASEAN to support local procurement near production hubs, reduce logistics costs, and shorten delivery times.
XPeng is also ramping robotaxi production domestically, with pilot operations targeted for the second half of 2026.
EPMB’s Growing Role
EPMB is a Malaysian-listed company (EPMB.KL) with over 40 years of experience as a Tier-1 automotive component supplier to brands including Perodua and Proton.
Headquartered in Shah Alam, Selangor, the company pivoted into full-vehicle contract manufacturing in 2023 with a modern CKD plant at HICOM Pegoh.
Phase 1 operations began in late 2023 with an initial annual capacity of roughly 6,000 units and have since produced more than 6,000 units of the Great Wall Motor H6 hybrid.
Pilot production for BAIC vehicles — the X55 and BJ40 — wrapped in November 2025, with full production starting in January 2026.
SAIC Motor has also signed EPMB to locally assemble MG EVs.
Phase 2 of the Melaka plant launched in December 2025, expanding annual capacity to 30,000 units.
Malaysia has emerged as a strategic CKD hub for Chinese EV makers more broadly.
Leapmotor began assembling the C10 at Stellantis’ Gurun plant in Kedah in April, with the B10 set to follow later this year.
BYD had also announced plans in August 2025 for a 600,000-square-meter assembly plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak — though the project has since stalled over government conditions on export ratios and local pricing.
