RMA Cambodia eyes full vehicle production, urges policy reforms to boost auto industry

PHNOM PENH, June 30, 2026 (KPT) – RMA Cambodia says it plans to move beyond vehicle assembly to full‑scale local production, but warned that further investment will depend on stronger government policy support and tax reforms to make domestic manufacturing more competitive.

Speaking at a briefing on the automotive sector outlook, Chief Executive Officer Ngorn Saing said the company is prepared to deepen its investment if the regulatory environment becomes more supportive. “RMA will be looking to invest more and our plan is to extend beyond just assembly and move to real local production,” he said.

RMA is one of Cambodia’s largest automotive investors, producing around 10,000 vehicles annually and employing more than 500 workers. It has also begun manufacturing components locally, starting with vehicle seats, to strengthen domestic supply chains.

Saing said future investment will depend not only on market demand but also on government policies that encourage local manufacturing. He noted that while RMA assembles internal combustion vehicles, the current tax structure makes it cheaper to import fully built electric vehicles than to assemble them locally. “With the current tax structure, probably no company will produce EVs in the country. Everyone imports and sells,” he said.

A EuroCham case study presented at the briefing found assembling an EV locally costs about US$4,025 more per unit than importing it as a completely built vehicle. Cambodia currently has 12 automotive assembly plants with combined investments exceeding US$217 million.

Since launching operations in 2022, RMA has assembled around 16,000 Ford vehicles and is expanding its site from five to 12 hectares. Saing said continued policy reforms could help Cambodia attract greater investment and position itself as a competitive regional production hub.