Long before Honda motorcycles became a familiar sight on Malaysian roads, Loh Boon Siew saw an opportunity that few others recognised.
He arrived in Penang from southern China at just 12 years old. With almost no formal education and speaking only Hokkien, he worked as an apprentice car mechanic. At night, he supplemented his income by washing buses for just 10 cents per vehicle.
Those modest beginnings would eventually lead him to become one of Malaysia’s most successful entrepreneurs and earn him the nickname “Mr Honda”.
More importantly, Loh did not merely sell Honda motorcycles. He helped build the local assembly, distribution and automotive manufacturing ecosystem that supported Honda’s growth in Malaysia.
Loh Boon Siew was born in 1915 and moved to Penang from southern China when he was 12.
His early exposure to cars, buses and mechanical work gave him practical knowledge of the transportation industry. He quickly recognised that Malaysia’s growing economy would create demand for more vehicles, spare parts and transport services.
By 1945, he was selling bicycles, tyres and motorcycle accessories. He later expanded into used cars, buses and commercial vehicles.
This was the beginning of a much larger automotive business. Instead of concentrating on a single product, Loh gradually built businesses covering vehicle sales, distribution, assembly and component manufacturing.
The major turning point came in the late 1950s.
During a visit to Japan, Loh noticed how popular Honda’s small motorcycles had become. They were affordable, fuel-efficient and easy to operate.
He believed that the same type of motorcycle would appeal to Malaysians who needed an inexpensive way to commute, transport goods and travel between towns and villages.
Oriental Holdings records that Loh noticed the popularity of the Honda Super Cub during a trip to Japan in 1958. He then convinced Honda founder Soichiro Honda to allow him to bring the motorcycles to Malaysia.
Honda’s own corporate history dates the beginning of its Malaysian motorcycle business to 1957, when Boon Siew opened a showroom on Pitt Street in Penang with 50 four-stroke Honda Cub motorcycles. The two official histories use slightly different dates, but both place the beginning of the partnership in the late 1950s.
Loh and Soichiro Honda reportedly did not speak a common language. However, their shared interest in vehicles and their respect for each other helped establish a partnership that would last for decades.
Introducing Honda motorcycles to Malaysia was not an immediate guarantee of success.
At the time, motorcycles were not yet the everyday mode of transport they would later become. Loh had to convince customers that Honda’s smaller four-stroke motorcycles were practical, reliable and economical.
The motorcycles gradually became popular among workers, families and small business owners. They offered an affordable alternative to owning a car and made it easier for people to travel longer distances.
The Honda Cub became the foundation of the business, but Loh’s ambition extended beyond importing completed motorcycles from Japan.
He wanted to assemble them locally.
In 1969, local production of Honda motorcycles began in Malaysia through a technical collaboration between Honda and Boon Siew.
This was one of the most important stages of Loh Boon Siew’s Honda journey.
Local assembly meant that the business could move beyond earning money from imported motorcycles. It could also create value through manufacturing, employment, technical development, spare parts and supporting industries.
Loh understood that a successful automotive industry required an entire ecosystem.
He later established or invested in businesses involved in:
His companies also worked with Honda and other Japanese businesses through joint ventures and technical collaboration agreements.
Loh’s relationship with Honda eventually expanded into passenger cars.
His businesses imported Honda models such as the N360 and Civic. Kah Motor, a subsidiary of Oriental Holdings, later became involved in distributing and retailing Honda cars across Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Loh also acquired an existing car assembly operation and developed it into Oriental Assemblers. This allowed his group to participate in assembling Honda cars for the Malaysian market.
This was central to his business strategy.
Rather than remaining only a dealer, Loh moved deeper into the automotive supply chain. His group earned revenue from sales, servicing, assembly, manufacturing and parts.
Oriental Holdings Berhad was established in 1963 and became the main listed company associated with Loh Boon Siew’s wider business empire.
The success of the Honda partnership gave the group the capital and experience to expand into other sectors.
Over time, Oriental Holdings diversified into:
Loh reinvested profits from the Honda business into these new industries rather than relying entirely on one automotive brand or market.
The amount Loh reportedly earned for washing each bus at night during his early years in Penang.
Honda records that Boon Siew’s first motorcycle showroom in Penang began with 50 four-stroke Honda Cub motorcycles.
The year Honda officially dates the beginning of its motorcycle business in Malaysia.
The year local Honda motorcycle production began in Malaysia.
Cumulative Malaysian production reached one million units in 1986.
Production reached two million units in 1999.
The three-millionth unit was produced in 2007.
Production passed four million units in 2011.
In 2017, Honda and Boon Siew celebrated 60 years of Honda’s Malaysian motorcycle business and the production of the five-millionth motorcycle.
The investment in Boon Siew Honda’s integrated motorcycle production facility in Batu Kawan, Penang. The plant officially opened in 2013.
The size of the Batu Kawan manufacturing site. It was approximately five times larger than the previous Mak Mandin facility.
The Batu Kawan plant’s stated annual production capacity when it officially opened.
The modern Boon Siew Honda is not exactly the same privately owned business that Loh Boon Siew originally established.
In 2008, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Oriental Holdings Berhad formed Boon Siew Honda Sdn. Bhd. as a formal joint venture.
Honda owns 51 percent of the company, while Oriental Holdings owns 49 percent.
Boon Siew Honda is responsible for the production, sale, service and distribution of Honda motorcycles in Malaysia.
Loh Boon Siew died in 1995, but the partnership he created with Honda continues through this joint venture.
Today, Boon Siew Honda continues to manufacture and distribute Honda motorcycles from its headquarters in Penang.
Its product range covers everyday commuter motorcycles, scooters, sports motorcycles and larger premium motorcycles sold through Honda BigWing dealerships.
The company is also investing in areas beyond motorcycle sales, including manufacturing, digital services, spare-parts distribution, dealer development and after-sales support.
The Batu Kawan facility remains the centre of Boon Siew Honda’s Malaysian manufacturing operations.
The integrated facility was developed to bring manufacturing, sales, customer service, spare parts and rider-safety activities together in one location.
When it opened, the RM222 million plant had an annual production capacity of 300,000 motorcycles and included facilities for testing, painting, emissions measurement and final inspection.
In May 2026, Boon Siew Honda completed a new centralised spare-parts warehouse at its Batu Kawan headquarters.
The facility covers approximately 5,533 square feet and is 238 percent larger than its previous spare-parts storage facility.
It was designed to improve inventory management and parts availability for more than 114 Honda Impian X dealerships and seven Honda BigWing dealerships nationwide.
In July 2026, Boon Siew Honda opened a new sales headquarters in Kota Damansara.
The three-storey, 7,000-square-foot facility brings the company’s sales, marketing and after-sales teams together under one roof.
The new headquarters also contains training rooms, a technical centre and a warranty-parts support point for authorised dealers. Boon Siew Honda’s main corporate headquarters remains in Penang.
Boon Siew Honda is also developing its Honda X digital ownership platform.
The platform provides digital services such as maintenance support, service information, e-warranty records and motorcycle service history.
This reflects a wider shift in the business. Boon Siew Honda is no longer focused only on manufacturing and selling motorcycles. It is also trying to improve the full customer ownership experience.
During 2026, the company continued introducing and updating models across its commuter, scooter, sports and premium motorcycle categories.
It also expanded its premium Honda BigWing dealership network and opened new or upgraded Honda Impian X locations.
These investments show that Boon Siew Honda is pursuing both ends of the market: affordable everyday transportation and higher-value lifestyle or performance motorcycles.
According to Oriental Holdings’ 2025 annual report, Boon Siew Honda recorded approximately:
RM1.23 billion in revenue
RM78.7 million in profit from continuing operations
Oriental Holdings recognised approximately RM38.5 million as its 49 percent share of Boon Siew Honda’s profit from continuing operations.
These figures show that the motorcycle partnership remains a substantial business decades after Loh first brought Honda motorcycles to Malaysia.
The wider business legacy associated with Loh Boon Siew now extends well beyond motorcycles.
Oriental Holdings remains involved in automotive distribution, car retailing, component manufacturing, plantations, healthcare, hotels, investment properties and building materials.
Its automotive businesses include Honda operations as well as Mitsubishi and BYD dealerships. It also manufactures specialised automotive parts for original equipment and replacement markets.
For the 2025 financial year, Oriental Holdings reported:
RM5.7 billion in group revenue
RM435.4 million in profit before tax
58 percent of group revenue coming from automotive activities
21 percent of group revenue coming from plantation activities
The automotive segment alone generated approximately RM3.3 billion in revenue during 2025, an increase of 10 percent from the previous year.
Loh Boon Siew’s success was not simply the result of securing the rights to sell a popular motorcycle.
His real achievement was understanding how one product could become the foundation of an entire business ecosystem.
He recognised that Malaysia needed affordable transportation. He then moved from importing vehicles into local assembly, manufacturing, distribution, servicing and automotive components.
He also used the profits and experience from the Honda business to expand into other industries.
Today, the companies connected to his legacy generate billions of ringgit in annual revenue. They remain active in automotive manufacturing and distribution while also operating across plantations, healthcare, hospitality, property and other sectors.
For someone who arrived in Penang at 12 years old, had almost no formal education and began by washing buses for 10 cents each, Loh Boon Siew’s journey remains one of Malaysia’s most remarkable business stories.
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