Bagan Datuk is set to become a new automotive hub following interest shown by two automotive companies to set up their plants in the district.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said a Chinese company was keen to open an energy efficient vehicle (EEV) assembly plant for the export market and would require 40 hectares of land for the purpose.

He said the auto company would work with a local company to set up the factory near the Sungai Bernam estuary in Hutan Melintang here.

“When completed, 2,000 jobs will be created, and I had asked for Bagan Datuk youths to be given priority for the job opportunities," he said when opening the Malaysian Automotive Industry Auto Festival at SMK Hutan Melintang’s field in Bagan Datuk today.

MAI is an agency under the International Trade and Industry Ministry.

- Bernama