DRB-Hicom has signed a memorandum of understanding with Potenza Sports Cars, manufacturer of the Westfield and GTM brands sports cars.
The parties will undertake a joint technical and commercial feasibility study to look into the possibility of manufacturing the Potenza sports cars for the Malaysian and and extended Asia Pacific market.
According to DRB-Hicom’s group managing director, Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Jamil, this collaboration paves the way for the company to become the exclusive importer, manufacturer and distributor of Potenza sports cars in the Asia Pacific region. “At this stage, the parties will explore various possibilities in this collaboration and we are positive of the outcome, ” he said. The deal also extends to include electric and hybrid variants.
Julian Turner, managing director of Westfield Sportscars, says he is optimistic that the potential partnership will see collaborative development of new sports cars available with conventional, electric and hybrid power trains. Westfield will provide all of the design engineering work and with the company likely to supply the Malaysian factory with many components. This will likely translate to an increase in jobs at Westfield’s UK facility.
DRB-Hicom Group is one of Malaysia’s leading corporations, playing an integral role in the manufacture, assembly and distribution of automotive vehicles. The Group has forged ties with several global players and currently distributes and assembles for companies including Audi, Mercedes Benz, Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Isuzu. Last year, these brands collectively captured 18% of the total industry volume in Malaysia.
