PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Bhd has established a mobility special task force to explore new opportunities in the automotive sector as part of the future plans for its motors division.

       In line with the strategy, the conglomerate said it has invested RM42mil in mobility players.

       Sime Darby group chief executive officer Datuk Jeffri Salim Davidson said the company’s thrust into mobility was its “engine two” to Sime Darby Motors’ “engine one”, which has continued to fortify to its full potential. Engine one refers to the group’s existing motors business, which it is continuing to strengthen, while engine two relates to its future-focused strategies to capitalise on new mobility trends.

       “We have developed a mobility strategy as part of our efforts to revolutionise and transform our motors division to be ready for the future of automotive,” he said in a statement.

       Sime Darby said the group was well-positioned to be the strategic partner for new mobility players offering a turnkey solution for all mobility needs through a wide range of fleet management services and across the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem.

       Its fleet management solutions range from the provision of vehicles via various ownership schemes and maintenance that includes mobile car servicing and telematics which enable monitoring and predictive maintenance for fleets.

       With EVs transforming the automotive landscape, Sime Darby said it was looking at capitalising on its strengths along the value chain to become the leading EV specialist in the region through the assembly, distribution and retail of EVs, as well as playing an active role in the charging infrastructure value chain.

       Sime Darby said its recent investment of RM42mil in car-sharing company Socar and online used car platform Carro demonstrated the group’s ambitions to expand in mobility.

       “Since 2018, Sime Darby has been in partnership with Socar in the new car and used car sales, fleet management and mobile after-sales service. It has been working with Carro since 2020 in the used car ecosystem and vehicle leasing in Malaysia and Singapore,” he said.

       He said the investments were critical in growing the business beyond the traditional dealerships and in embracing alternative ownership models, as well as capitalise on the strong growth potential in the region’s car-sharing industry.

       “Our investments in the startups are strategic and symbiotic, and they come after we have spent the last year or two in collaboration to examine how we can leverage on our strengths,” he added.