KULIM, May 20 — Mazda Malaysia, which is a joint-venture between Bermaz Motor and Mazda Corporation of Japan, launched its brand new trim and final assembly line at the Inokom plant in Kulim on May 16.

This is a new assembly line involving investment of more than RM200 million, and is dedicated to the assembly of Mazda cars, both for Malaysian consumption and for export.

The brand was popular in the 1970s and the ’80s, but after the local distributor closed down operations, it languished to almost non-existence in Malaysia.

In 2008, Bermaz Motor Sdn Bhd took over the local distributorship, and slowly but steadily built up the sales from just under 1,000 units in 2008 to around 10,000 units in 2013.

This meteoric climb is largely attributed to Datuk Seri Ben Yeoh, Managing Director of Bermaz Motor, popularly known as the “man with the golden touch” in automotive circles, and the 2012 introduction of Mazda’s “SKYACTIV” technology in the CX-5, which is a proposition of power with excellent fuel economy.

The SKYACTIV technology has since cascaded down to the Mazda 6 and Mazda 3 models.

Sales are brisk, with waiting periods of up to six months for certain models — a sure sign that the Mazda brand is making a comeback.

The latest investment in the new assembly line in Kulim’s Inokom plant is a sure sign that the brand is serious about staying here on a more permanent basis.

M. Maruyama, Executive Officer of Mazda Corporation, Japan, came to officiate at the opening ceremony.

Speaking at the press conference held at the launch of the facility, Maruyama apologised to customers who have been kept waiting for their CX-5s. He said he would do his utmost to step up production.

He said that even though the assembly line was open, productivity was still not up to the target levels as processes still needed to be streamlined, and new workers were being trained alongside the existing assembly technicians.

With the launch of the Mazda 3, which is equipped with even more comprehensive SKYACTIV elements, and garnering rave reviews from motoring media all over the world, it appears that it will not be long before Mazda Malaysia will have to further expand its assembly line, or put in automation technology as orders are pouring in.

Currently the new assembly line caters for the Mazda CX-5 SUV, building vehicles both for the Malaysian market and for export to Thailand.

The diesel version of the CX-5 with the SKYACTIV Diesel engine is also built on the same line, but all the units are shipped to Thailand. Malaysians will have to wait until Euro 4 diesel fuel is available in Malaysia.