Whenever discussions on the automotive conglomerate arise, invariably attention turns to DRB-Hicom Bhd. Its sprawling automotive complex in Pekan, which assembles cars for Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, has grown from strength to strength, either organically or through acquisitions.
DRB-Hicom’s revenue has more than tripled to RM12bil since the takeover in 2004, with its net profit at RM1.32bil in financial year ended March 2013. It was a surge in profits after recognising RM971mil negative goodwill from the acquisition of Proton, while operating profit improved 11% to RM534mil from a year ago.