Report: Maxland Bhd Will Establish Sabah’s First EV Assembly Plant In Sandakan

Diversified Sabah-rooted timber conglomerate Maxland Sdn Bhd is poised to establish Sabah's first EV assembly plant in Sandakan soon.

Sabah-rooted timber conglomerate Maxland Bhd, formerly known as Priceworth International Bhd, is set to invest up RM100 million by 2028 towards establishing the first electric vehicle (EV) assembly plant in Sabah, reports local daily The Star.

Said plant will be located in the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) of Sandakan, and it is projected to generate up to 500 jobs in its third phase, adds the local daily’s report.

Prior to this, Maxland Bhd, through its Maxland Auto Sdn Bhd arm, had secured a federal manufacturing licence from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) last year.

“This milestone aligns with the Sabah government’s vision for industrial diversification and sustainable economic growth,” said Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe, Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister, during his recent visit at the firm’s premise.

Maxland Bhd, via its Maxland Auto Sdn Bhd arm, is reportedly poised to begin assembly EV buses from Higer - China's second largest busmaker.

Phoong’s ministry, as well as other agencies in the state, have pledged full support to facilitate the success of Maxland Auto and similar investments.

Back in March last year, the firm, then known as Priceworth International Bhd still, secured a three-year contract to distribute and assemble Higer (China’s second largest busmaker) vehicles across Sabah and Sarawak, reports local business daily The Edge prior.

The same report also indicated that Maxland Auto Bhd will partner with GoAuto Group, which had also secured distribution rights for energy efficient vehicles (EEV) and EV commercial vehicles from Higer.

Under the agreement, Higer and GoAuto will contribute both tech transfer and technical expertise for the manufacturing facilities. Maxland Auto, on the other hand, will instead focus on distribution and sales to identified markets.