Malaysia’s automotive player Sime Darby Motors (SDM) Malaysia and United Kingdom-based biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have recently partnered to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) under Sime Darby Motors for AstraZeneca’s employees.
Both parties said in a statement on Friday that they have formalized their collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
According to the statement, the partnership with Sime Darby Motors marked AstraZeneca’s commitment to transition to EV fleet in line with its Ambition Zero Carbon sustainability program to reduce carbon emission and address climate change.
Ambition Zero Carbon is AstraZeneca’s decarbonization strategy to reduce carbon footprint and achieve net-zero emissions for planetary health.
This partnership between a biopharmaceutical company and Sime Darby Motors is the first in Malaysia and would entail the provision of corporate rates to AstraZeneca’s employees to own an EV vehicle, in particular, BMW, BYD and Hyundai.
The initiative aligns with the growing trends of corporations prioritizing environmental sustainability and addressing the urgent need to combat climate change.
This partnership also demonstrates the commitment to reduce carbon emission by addressing environmental issues, in an effort to achieve greener growth towards rebuilding a better and sustainable future.
AstraZeneca commented that through partnerships such as this, the company is able to maximize its transition to EVs to reduce carbon footprint.
As EV fleet embraces renewable energy resources for charging, it opined that the environmental impact on the planet can be proactively managed.
Through AstraZeneca’s Ambition Zero Carbon sustainability programme, it said the company is pursuing ambitious decarbonization targets, accelerating its progress towards
net-zero, and managing the risks and opportunities presented by climate change.
“We have very clear EV ambitions at Sime Darby Motors and partners such as AstraZeneca play important roles as enablers in helping us achieve our target of a more energy-efficient product portfolio by 2025 and becoming a leader for EV in Malaysia，
“We are committed to supporting AstraZeneca in their transition to EV and this collaboration marks a crucial part of our efforts to achieve a wider EV adoption in Malaysia as well as to help achieve our mission to be future-ready in the automotive industry,” said Jeffrey Gan, Managing Director of Sime Darby Motors Retail and Distribution – Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau.
According to the statement, Sime Darby Motors’ offerings to support the country’s EV include a wide spectrum of world leading brands such as BMW, MINI, Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Volvo, Hyundai, BYD and Ford.
With a focus on a more energy efficient product portfolio, Sime Darby Motors is expanding its EV line-ups, charging network, as well as highly skilled workforce for EV retail and aftersales services.
The company is also committed to continuously upgrade the skills of its technical team to prepare for the future of automotive.
Sime Darby Motors is an automotive group representing luxury brand such as BMW, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Porsche to broad appeal market brands including Ford and Hyundai, as well as commercial vehicles.
The firm is actively involved in all facets of the automotive business – from importation and assembly, to distribution, retail, and rental.
In Malaysia, Sime Darby Motors operates 29 dealerships representing the BMW, MINI, Motorrad, BYD, Hyundai, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Volvo, and Auto Selection brands.
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in oncology,
rare diseases and biopharmaceuticals, including cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, and respiratory and immunology.
Based in Cambridge, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.
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