SEBERANG PERAI, Dec 6 — Mattel Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MMSB) is expected to increase its manufacturing capacity to produce half a billion Hot Wheels toy cars annually by 2025.

Mattel Operations Asia senior vice-president in global manufacturing Soo Teck Heng said its Malaysian unit which began operations in Perai, Penang in 1981 now produces nine million toy cars a week.

“This translates to 1,000 toy cars every minute,” he said at the 40th anniversary celebration of the toy manufacturer here today.

He said Mattel Malaysia is currently expanding its plant with two buildings under construction adjacent to the current facility.

“The expansion will bring our production up by 20 per cent by 2025,” he said.

He added that the expansion will add 400 new jobs across Mattel’s operations in Penang.

“This expansion will work towards strengthening MMSB and Mattel Development and Tooling Sdn Bhd’s role as a global hub for die-cast production and is part of a larger investment in our Malaysian operations,” Soo said.

He said Mattel Malaysia currently makes about 440 million toy cars a year and foresees production to increase by about 20 per cent through the expansion plan, enabling it to manufacture half a billion Hot Wheels annually.

The plant is currently at maximum output capacity and all of the products made here are exported worldwide, he said.

“Mattel Malaysia is the world’s only manufacturer of Hot Wheels singles – the world’s top-selling toy in 2021 according to The NPD Group,” he said.

Mattel Incorporated president and chief commercial officer Steve Totzke announced a licence partnership with Proton to develop a Hot Wheels car modelled after the original Proton Saga.

He said the model will now become a part of Hot Wheels’ singles collection.

“The licence partnership between Mattel and Proton is significant for Malaysians as they witness Malaysia’s first car transformed into a 1:64 scale model to ignite the passion of car enthusiasts both in Malaysia and worldwide,” Totzke said.

Soo said the Proton Saga Hot Wheels will be available in the market soon, but did not commit to a date.