Perodua Simplifies Bookings With New Online Platform

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Malaysian automaker Perodua’s unwavering strive for innovation continues with the launch of their latest service aimed at simplifying the purchase experience for new customers. Perodua Online Booking (or POB) also provides greater transparency for buyers, for improved peace of mind.

The process is incredibly simple and flexible for potential customers. For just RM100 (for Malaysians – a different fee is levied on non-Malaysians), buyers can select the model they’re looking for down to the variant and colour. 

Once the fee has been paid via an online payment gateway, a quick input of personal details and selection of your preferred showroom & sales advisor completes the process. 

Additionally, buyers looking for finance options can choose from a list of banks provided. An email will be sent with a receipt for your (fully refundable) booking fee, and you can then track the status of your new car via the Perodua UFirst app. If you don’t already have a membership, your sales advisor will on-board you to ensure a smooth ownership experience. 

Further, Perodua has also integrated the trade-in process into the Online Booking system – just tick the box, and your sales advisor will do the needful to manage your existing car. Just follow the process and it’ll all run smoothly.

Perodua has also done a bit of troubleshooting ahead of the launch of their Online Booking system. Online bookings “will be treated similarly to those made at any outlet,” and will therefore be subject to the same waiting period if you were to walk in to place a booking. Further, the Online Booking platform will deny a duplicate booking should you have placed one previously – if you’ve changed your mind about your model, variant or colour, speak to your sales advisor who’ll amend your booking as necessary. 

Perodua Online Booking allows customers to order their new Perodua from anywhere, which is particularly convenient for customers who know what they want ahead of time. If you want a test drive you can make that request online too, while still enjoying the same hospitality and service quality that’s maintained Perodua’s market-leader position for as long as it has. 

GALLERY: PERODUA LAUNCHES ONLINE BOOKING PLATFORM

Perodua Offers Assistance to Flood-Affected Customers

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Malaysian automotive heavyweight Perodua has today announced assistance for its customers affected by the flooding throughout the country.

For the uninitiated, flooding has wrought havoc across large swathes of the country owing to higher-than-usual rainfall. As a result, some of Perodua’s service centre operations have been affected, but the company and its distributors are working as swiftly as possible to resume normal service.

“Our customers are very important to us, and these value-added services are provided to help relieve some of the burden our customers have to face during this disaster,” said Perodua’s president & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

On the matter of “value-added services,” Perodua is offering various forms of assistance to affected customers. This comes in the form of towing service rebates (worth up to RM100 to bring your Perodua to the nearest service centre), free inspection for flood-affected vehicles, and discounts on selected original spare parts.

Spare parts will be offered with a 20% discount for customers whose cars have been damaged by the floods. “Our genuine spare parts come with a manufacturer’s warranty we ask our customers to not use imitation parts that may affect vehicle performance,” said Dato’ Zainal. These parts include all electronic items, engine overhaul gaskets, seats, door trims, and carpets.

Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President & CEO, Perodua

As of 19th December 2021, parts of Selangor, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang are facing devastating flooding. The Malaysian Meteorological Department warns that the rainfall may continue and move towards other parts of the country, and has issued weather warnings.

For Perodua customers affected by the flooding with damaged vehicles, they can contact Perodua’s toll-free customer care line at 1-800-88-5555 to arrange for towing assistance (subject to terms & conditions).

Perodua On-Track To Hit 240,000 Sales Target This Year

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Local automotive heavyweight Perodua, which has managed to sell 96,281 vehicles through the first five months of 2021, is staying strong with its 240,000 targeted sales for the full year despite the challenging market conditions and the shortage of semiconductors. 

“While Perodua’s year-to-date May sales of 96,281 units marks an 82% increase than the 52,920 units sold in the same period last year, this achievement is distorted as the first Movement Control Order was in place from March to May last year.”

– Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President & CEO, Perodua

Dato’ Zainal went on to say that a fairer comparison would be against its year-to-date May sales from 2019, where the company managed to sell some 105,745 cars. This represents an 8.9% decrease in its sales performance. 

The impact rom the semiconductor shortage can be seen in the reduction in sales from April to May, from 20,339 units to 17,973 units, a decrease of 12%.

“Despite these challenges and barring further uncertainties moving forwards, we believe we will be able to meet our 240,000-unit sales target for 2021, as demand remains strong for all our models. We thank the Government for extending the sales exemption to end-2021, which will bolster our strong demand, encourage economic activity and help sustain the Malaysian automotive ecosystem.”

– Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President & CEO, Perodua

On the matter of service centre operations throughout the MCO period, Dato’ Zainal has advised that its customers contact their nearest service outlet for the latest information. And as for new-car handovers, the Perodua boss thanks their valued customers for their “understanding & patience in waiting for their Perodua vehicles,” as showrooms & sales activities remain halted throughout the MCO period. 

It is clear that the semiconductor shortage remains a serious issue among local manufacturers, and being Malaysia’s largest automotive manufacturer, Perodua would naturally be the first to be hit, and be hit most seriously. It is understood that the Rawang company is working as best it can to meet manufacturing demands as customers continue to stream in from every corner of the country, and this statement of confidence signals that they remain committed to fulfilling its sales obligations in the most timely manner possible. 

Perodua Targets 240,000 Sales In 2021, 9% Increase Over 2020

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Malaysian automotive heavyweight Perodua has set their sights high this year, with a targeted annual sales number of 240,000 cars before the year is up. This marks a meagre 9% increase over the 220,163 cars that they sold in 2020, with demand spiking as a result of the sales tax exemption offered by the Government. 

In 2019, Perodua sold 240,341 cars and set an initial target of 240,000 sales in 2020. But as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sg. Choh company revised its targets to 210,000 sales for 2020, which it comfortably exceeded by some 10,163 vehicles. 

Last year’s numbers were contributed most by the Perodua Myvi, with some 66,330 cars sold. This was followed closely by 59,651 Perodua Axias, 56,996 Perodua Bezzas, 22,494 Perodua Aruz SUVs, and 14,691 Perodua Alzas. Against a total industry volume (TIV) of 529,434 units, Perodua netted a marketshare of 41.6%.

“With the extension of the sales tax exemption to end-June 2021, recent COVID-19 vaccine developments and all our models continuing to be in demand, we believe 2021 to be the year of recovery.”

– Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President & Chief Executive Officer, Perodua

Dato’ Zainal added that Perodua and the Malaysian automotive ecosystem as a whole appreciates the support for the industry, and will extend its full cooperation to the government in ensuring that tall standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed, with regards to COVID-19. Dato’ Zainal also said that with the estimated recovery of Perodua’s sales volume, the carmaker is expected to hit make a record RM6.5-billion in component purchases from the local automotive ecosystem in 2021. 

“With 2020 ending better than previously expected for Perodua and the industry, we are looking to increase our stock by boosting our production target to 272,000 vehicles this year – the highest in our history. This increase [in production targets] will replenish our stock to ensure brisk delivery this year. We thank all Malaysians for making us the nation’s best-selling carmaker for 15 successive years.”

– Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President & Chief Executive Officer, Perodua

On the after sales side, Perodua expects to see service intakes grow some 20% from the 2-million units seen in 2020 to 2.4-million units in 2021, comprising both new and current customers. Perodua will continue its efforts to transform its approach in every aspect, “be it in customer engagement, values, or even our operations, especially in our sales arm,” said Dato’ Zainal.

This approach will be dubbed ‘Perodua Smart Build,’ and will “revolutionise Perodua’s offerings while further improving the compact car company’s operational capabilities.” More information and impact of Perodua Smart Build will be announced in the “near future.”

The Perodua Myvi – A National Icon

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1.1-million. Big number, right? It’s not until you think about it that you realise just why you see a Perodua Myvi everywhere you turn.

It’s amazing to think that back in 2005 when the Myvi was launched, Perodua thought that their bulbous, cute hatchback would maybe sell in the mid 5-figures annually. Compared to where it is now, wearing the crown as the best-selling new car in Malaysia for over a decade, the humility seems almost cute.

The Perodua Myvi can almost be singlehandedly credited for Perodua’s meteoric rise in the local automotive industry. While they’ve always been a big-volume player, the sheer dominance that the company enjoys today could not be possible with the various transformational changes that have been ushered in by every new iteration of the venerable Myvi.

Three generations have each been an indicator of where the company stood at that given time.

With the first generation, Perodua was an almost-bashful firm with a few good hits under its belt, having successfully moved the masses with the Kancil before moving buyers on to the more sophisticated Kelisa. But nothing could have prepared them for the whirlwind ushered in by the Myvi, which was conceptualised to sit in the market as a niche left-field offering against the ‘saloon-heavy’ Malaysian landscape.

Arriving as a lightly-reskinned version of Japanese domestic-market models, the first-generation Myvi went on to become the mainstream option to beat. It redefined the Malaysian market as not being saloon-heavy but one focused on value – and with the practicality on offer with the original Myvi, paired to Perodua’s already iron-clad reputation for quality and reliability, it proved to be a challenge that its competitors simply couldn’t beat.

With the second-generation, Perodua realised that its customers had become more exacting and with it, even more mature. As such the Myvi lost a bit of its practicality in favour of more style and vigour, featuring even greater degrees of local design flair and parts localisation. The original Myvi had bought Perodua much favour and trust from its Japanese technical partner and as such, they were given greater reign to determine the future of the Malaysian favourite.

If you paid close attention, you could see where Perodua flexed its engineering and design muscles on the second-generation Myvi. The two differing faces for the car for example were something of a litmus test that Daihatsu had devised for Perodua, to see if they could successfully and convincingly execute such an exercise and better align the Myvi to suit local tastes. And then there was the introduction of the 1.5-litre engine which, with the 1.0-litre of the first generation nowhere to be found, clearly demonstrated that Perodua had bigger ambitions for its family hatchback. Even the somewhat extreme designs of the Advance and Extreme models of the time were made to push the envelope and test the market, to see how well Malaysians would react to a more localised product.

These various exercises were conducted at Perodua to determine their readiness, to prepare them to take on the mammoth challenge ahead. So big was the task of developing the first fully localised Myvi that Perodua had to pop its R&D cherry with the Bezza first, ensuring that any kinks in the process were ironed out there first.

And with the Bezza’s rip-roaring success a solid proof of capability, only then were the boys and girls at Sg. Choh given the ultimate mandate: To design the next-generation Myvi.

They had a seemingly-Herculean task ahead of them: It had to be sophisticated in appeal, but simple in its engineering. It had to be frugal on fuel but still decently powerful, and it had to offer a level of refinement that would silence the critics (no pun intended). And above all it had to offer a level of safety at an accessible price point, effectively democratising life-saving active technology for the masses.

And in November of 2017, the Perodua Myvi did just that.

Debuting Advanced Safety Assist, the 3rd-generation Myvi brought big-car features like autonomous emergency braking, pre-collision warning, and range-wide full-LED headlights to the masses. And it came packaged in a car that was designed, developed, engineered and built in Malaysia. While it had long been considered the love of a nation, the 3rd-generation Myvi is the car that turned it from beloved to iconic, to be
forever enshrined as a pillar of Malaysian automotive capability.

Thanks to the Myvi, Perodua has been able to conclusively shift its focus from being an economy car brand to a value-driven one, with a clear vision on offering safety for the masses. And what better way to begin that trend than with the Myvi – a 12-year best-seller, Perodua’s beloved B-segment hatchback has been recently refreshed to offer a striking Electric Blue hue which hides upgrades and refinements like Advanced Safety Assist 2.0 to further improve the appeal of the segment dominator.

So this Merdeka day, let’s show some love for the Perodua Myvi.

It’s more than just the love of a nation; it’s a national icon.

GALLERY: The Perodua Myvi – A National Icon

Perodua ‘Alvan’ Rendered By Theophilus Chin

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The Perodua Alza has been around for a good long while now, serving to fill the space in the Perodua lineup for buyers either looking for a more spacious option than a Perodua Myvi, or those who really want their 7-seater not to sit so far off the ground like a Perodua Aruz. It’s for this reason that the Alza, which has been on the market for nearly 11-years now, continues to represent a healthy chunk of Perodua’s annual sales figures. 

The Alza’s multi-purpose nature, with its long wheelbase and roofline, has meant that it serves more purposes than just as a people-carrier. Within the Perodua factory you’ll find Alza’s serving as shuttle cars, whereas a large proportion of SME operators adore their Alzas because of just how much flotsam you can cart around in them.

To that end, renowned photo-manipulator Theophilus Chin has put stylus to drawing pad to bring us his rendition of an Alza panel van, which he’s christened the ‘Alvan.’ With only an exterior rendering to go on, the changes are pretty obvious – in keeping with its status as a commercial vehicle, the ‘Alvan’ rides on steel wheels, with unpainted bumpers on either end and a pair of unpainted door mirrors.

The lack of finish continues with the door handles as well as the tailgate garnish, but the eagle-eyed amongst you would have probably also noticed that the taillights have been swapped out for bulb-type units, eschewing the LED-units that you get as standard in Alzas now.

Theo did however go a little further beyond the usual this time by rendering the Alvan as two versions – one with standard doors like the existing car, and one as a sliding-door version like a proper van. Which one do you think is best? Let us know in the comments below.

GALLERY: Perodua ‘Alvan’ by Theophilus Chin

2020 Perodua Myvi – ASA 2.0 On More Variants, Now From RM42k

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The Malaysian automotive darling that is the Perodua Myvi has received a mild update for 2020, bringing it up to par with its siblings in terms of safety and bumping it a little further in terms of desirability. With an average of 100,000 units sold per-year since its introduction, the Perodua Myvi has long held the title of being Malaysia’s most favoured ride – and now with the 2020 updates, it’s set to retain that honour for a little while longer.

Perodua has updated the Myvi with Advanced Safety Assist 2.0, which debuted first with the flagship Aruz SUV before trickling down into the 2019 Perodua Axia and the 2020 Perodua Bezza. ASA (1.0) first came about when the 3rd generation Myvi was launched back in 2017, and consisted of Pre-Collision Warning & Pre-Collision Braking (up to 30km/h), Front Departure Alert, and Pedal Misoperation Control. With ASA 2.0, the latter two functions remain, but the pre-collision warning & braking are now effective at speeds of up to 100km/h and 80km/h respectively; Additionally, ASA 2.0 now tacks on Pedestrian Detection, at speeds of up to 50km/h.

Also new for 2020 is the ‘Electric Blue’ hue, as seen here, which is available across the range. The favourite ‘Granite Grey’ has now also been made available on all but the 1.3G variants too, allowing more choice for Perodua’s customers

There are no mechanical changes to report with the 2020 Perodua Myvi, which means there’s still an option between a 1.3-litre VVT engine and a 1.5-litre VVT engine, putting out 94hp/121Nm and 102hp/136Nm respectively, mated to a 4-speed automatic on all but the base 1.3G, which gets the option of a 5-speed manual as well.

Speaking of which, the range has been updated a bit here too. The new lineup now reflects the optional ASA 2.0 on the 1.3X variants, as well as its standard fitment on the 1.5H and 1.5AV.

Variant Pricing (With Changes, No SST)
2020 Perodua Myvi 1.3G (MT) RM41,292 (unchanged)
2020 Perodua Myvi 1.3G (AT) RM43,029 (unchanged)
2020 Perodua Myvi 1.3X (AT) RM44,959 (unchanged)
2020 Perodua Myvi 1.3X (AT), With ASA 2.0 RM46,959 (new variant)
2020 Perodua Myvi 1.5H (AT), With ASA 2.0 RM50,530 (+RM2,000)
2020 Perodua Myvi 1.5AV (AT), With ASA 2.0 RM52,697 (+500)

“With the inclusion of ASA 2.0, the Perodua Myvi takes advanced safety to a whole new level at this price point, and it’s nw more widely available within the lineup. The latest Myvi carries on the Perodua tradition of bringing advanced safety technology to the people, by making it more affordable and accessible to all.” – Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, President and Chief Executive Officer, Perodua

The updated 2020 Perodua Myvi is available in showrooms nationwide, with order books open today.

2020 PERODUA MYVI – GALLERY

2020 Perodua Myvi S-Edition Lands In Brunei?

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GHK Motors Sdn. Bhd., the sole authorised distributor of Perodua vehicles in the nation of Brunei, has launched the all-new Perodua Myvi at its showroom in Bandar Seri Begawan today via digital soft-launch, in keeping with COVID-19 preventative measures in place in Brunei to minimise social gatherings.

The soft-launching was to mark the official introduction of the all-new Perodua Myvi there, available as a 1.3G variant. However, there was the added surprise of the Perodua Myvi S-Edition, which comes equipped with a bodykit.

2020 Perodua Myvi S-Edition, Brunei

As far as we can tell, the bodykit is designed to look like what was first seen on the Perodua Myvi GT concept that debuted to the public at the 2018 Kuala Lumpur International Motorshow, which has since sparked heavy speculation that the Sg. Choh company may be looking to introduce hotter variants of its popular Myvi in the future.

Very few photos of the Perodua Myvi S-Edition have surfaced, but it seems to us that the changes are purely cosmetic, marrying a bodykit and some black-painted alloys to an otherwise standard Myvi. We are certain that it is not the 1.5AV as it lacks the ASA camera module on the windscreen – we have strong reason to believe that it is based on the Perodua Myvi 1.3G, the standard model that’s been greenlit for sale there.

A video has surfaced showing that the interior matches that of the 1.3G, with fabric seats, a basic audio headunit, and a steering wheel without multifunction controls. We expect to see no changes to the mechanicals either.

We have contacted Perodua to ask for comment on the launch of the Perodua Myvi S-Edition in Brunei.

2020 Perodua Myvi S-Edition, Brunei

*This is a developing story, which will be updated with further information as it becomes available.

  • 2020 Perodua Myvi S-Edition, Brunei
  • 2020 Perodua Myvi S-Edition, Brunei
  • 2020 Perodua Myvi S-Edition, Brunei
  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18
  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18
  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18
  • 2018 Perodua Myvi GT Concept – KLIMS’18

6 SST-Free Bargains You Must Snap Up – Peroduas, Toyotas, BMWs, Volvos

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Buy a new car, save the economy. Who could argue with that?

Earlier today, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that as part of the PENJANA COVID-19 economic stimulus package, new car purchases are set to see between a 50% reduction and 100% reduction of their sales & service tax as a way to stimulate sales in the automotive segment. This announcement came as a welcome move by the automotive sector, who are now hoping that things really can go back to normal for them.

As sales tax has long been part & parcel of any new car, many Malaysians are unaware of just how much SST they pay for on a new car. For reference, all new cars are subject to 10% SST – therefore, the ‘discounts’ on a new car can be easily calculated at 10% for locally-assembled or CKD vehicles, while there’ll be a 5% retail price reduction for fully-imported cars.

To give you an idea of what that looks like, we’ve listed down 6 excellent cars from across the spectrum, beginning with everyone’s favourite Perodua Myvi, all the way up to the segment-leading & benchmark-setting Volvo XC90, as well as a reference in between of what a fully-imported purchase would feel like right about now too.

It’s worth noting of course that as SST is applied only to the nett selling price, the figures that we’re suggesting here are likely a bit hopeful – based on what we saw during the last ‘tax holiday,’ we should expect to see decreases between 3%-5% at the most off retail selling prices. But given the current situation, car companies would be remiss not to put their best deals forward to lure customers back into showrooms and into new cars, no?

PERODUA MYVI 1.5 AV – RM48,681 (RM5409 expected reduction)

The Perodua Myvi is a firm favourite for all Malaysians, with the B-segment hatchback racking up an average of 100,000 annual sales every year since its introduction nearly 13 years ago. With lots of space, punchy performance, and levels of safety & convenience kit that would put most of its competitors to shame, the Perodua Myvi is a tough car to beat, which is why it dominates the sub-RM100k segment almost entirely.

Watch our review of the Perodua Myvi here.

PERODUA ARUZ 1.5 AV – RM70,110 (RM7790 expected reduction)

The Perodua Aruz is another one of the Sg. Choh company’s runaway successes, though while the Myvi is famously known as the surprise hit, the Aruz was far more calculated. Dominating the sub-RM100k SUV space and taking the cake as Malaysia’s most popular SUV, the Aruz provides acres of space & practicality, and offers car-like usability & functionality despite the commanding ride height. And paired with traditional Perodua running costs, it’s no wonder that its Japanese sibling (which is built in the same factory with the same powertrain by the same people, mind) is failing to gain traction…

You can watch our review of the Perodua Aruz here.

TOYOTA COROLLA 1.8G (CBU) – RM132,893 (RM6995 expected reduction)

The Toyota Corolla is actually our only fully-imported example car we’re putting in the list, on the account of its great styling, amazing safety kit, and impressive performance. The Thai-built Corolla (now free of the ‘Altis’ name previous generations carried) is an excellent example of what we can expect to see from the Japanese marque going forwards – more engaging design, a more engaging drive, better technology, and the same tried-and-tested Toyota value.

(We haven’t reviewed the Toyota Corolla yet, so there’s no review to plug here…)

BMW 330i M-Sport (CKD) – RM264,420 (RM29,380 expected reduction)

The de-facto choice in the compact executive saloon space, BMW Group Malaysia was wise to quickly introduce the CKD version of this car when it did. Not only did it offer a massive saving over the fully-imported first batch of cars, but it demonstrated the excellent quality control measures implemented by the local assembly plant, proving that there’s literally nothing to lose.

Notably, the G20 3-Series is now a sharper drive than the F30 it replaces, which means it has returned to form as the driver’s choice in the segment. Not that the majority of its buyers seek it out specifically for that, in all honesty.

(We also haven’t reviewed the G20 BMW 3-Series. Do these car companies not like us?)

Volvo S60 T8 R-Design (CKD) – RM266,299.20 (RM29,588.80 expected reduction)

We threw this in here because it’s an absolute favourite of ours at MalaysianMotoring – with restrained styling, mind-bending performance, unbelievable (yet verified) fuel economy and standard-setting safety, the Volvo S60 is a very difficult car to fault. Couple that with a truly refined ride and the ability to outsprint a Mercedes-AMG C43, and this Swede begins to show its more brutish side.

This car is like Dwayne Johnson in a suit. Ever a gentleman, but still able to knock your jaw out at 20 paces.

(Do we not review enough cars on this website? Thank God we’ve already driven the next one…)

Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription Plus (CKD) – RM368,899.20 (RM40,988.80 expected reduction)

Another favourite in the office, but also a favourite among buyers – in the 7-seater SUV space, the Volvo XC90 is not only the segment leader in terms of safety, performance and standard equipment, but it’s also the most affordable of the bunch, outpricing its nearest competitors by about 5-figures at the minimum. And it’s no Turkish prison either, with sumptuous Nappa leather seats, mesmirising Bowers & Wilkins premium audio, a solid crystal gear selector knob, and the sort of ride comfort that would shame everything short of a Rolls-Royce. The Volvo XC90 may have led Volvo’s transformation into the company we see today in the here-and-now, but it’s showing absolutely no signs of aging, or slowing down.

The Volvo XC90 was #Recharged for the 2020 model year – check out our review here.

So our advice is this – if you find yourself with money to burn, a secure job and secure income, now is the best time to buy a car. Not only will you be saving way more than any seasonal promotion, but you’ll also be directly helping our beloved local automotive industry and the millions of people that it employs directly & indirectly stay afloat.

And boy, don’t we Malaysians just love our cars?

  • The new Mercedes-Benz EQC makes its regional debut in Malaysia, alongside the new Mercedes-Benz S560e Plug-In Hybrid, as well as the Mercedes-Benz C300e Plug-In Hybrid
  • Mr. Michael Jopp, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, with the refreshed Mercedes-Benz GLC range featuring MercedesMe Connect

2021 Perodua Alza (D27A) Shaping Up – 1.0-Turbo or 1.2-Hybrid, DNGA

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It seems that the reality is forming at Perodua to finally usher in a replacement for its venerable Alza MPV – while the 7-seater’s sales remain surprisingly strong, with over a decade under its belt, it is about time that it is sent off to the figurative scrapyard in the sky. The Alza it seems is about to play a supporting role in Perodua’s ongoing transformation into a value-brand rather than a budget-brand it seems, preceded only by the D55L that we are insistent must go to market as the ‘Kembara.’

According to a report from Indonesia, Astra Daihatsu are in the very early stages of preparing a replacement for their Daihatsu Xenia, which is familiar to all and sundry here as the Toyota Avanza. For all intents and purposes the two cars are the same there, sharing just about everything, including most of their skin. Astra Daihatsu however is saying that their next Xenia will be a 2+2+2 rather than the 2+3+2 that we’re more familiar with, which has led us to connect the dots.

Some time ago at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2017 (GIIAS), Daihatsu brought the world the DN Multisix concept, which previewed a low-roofed compact MPV that was tipped to be the precursor to a Avanza-replacing model. That Multisix was later brought to Tokyo in 2017, where it sat alongside the DN Trec concept, which has since gestated into the Toyota Raize & Daihatsu Rocky duo, which are tipped to be a foreshadowing of the upcoming Perodua D55L ‘Kembara.’

Autonetmagz had more to share, however. In addition to leaking the progress of the information, they report that the DN Multisix will go into production running on Daihatsu’s New Global Architecture (DNGA), and be powered by either a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged motor, or curiously, a 1.2-litre hybrid powertrain. Notably, the former powerplant is heavily rumoured to go into production in Malaysia with the D55L ‘Kembara,’ whereas we all recall the strange ‘hybrid powertrain concept’ that Perodua had on display at KLIMS18, right? Could the D27A Alza be the model that brings electrification to the Perodua lineup?

Either way, what we’re certain of seeing here is significant Malaysian input – it is no secret that Perodua a gem in ASEAN to both Toyota & Daihatsu, with the Sg. Choh company investing billions of Ringgit into improving their R&D facilities in order to take the lead. While we’re likely to see another Aruz this time around (in the sense that the differentiation will be less obvious among its Daihatsu & Toyota siblings rather than the Myvi and the JDM Sirion & Passo), once again we will have to highlight the level of involvement that Perodua will bring to the table. With Malaysian engineers & designers from Perodua permanently stationed in Japan to work with both Daihatsu & Toyota, this is certainly no rebadge effort. This is not the Perodua of the past.

However, if you’re looking at your bank balance and wondering if you can stretch for a new Alza, we have to rain on your parade – Perodua has emphasized on multiple occasions that it has the capacity to release 1 minor model change & 1 full model change every year. This year has seen the debut of the Perodua Bezza facelift, and it’s widely expected to see the arrival of the D55L Kembara too. Which means that, in all likelihood, the D27A Alza will be scheduled for a launch sometime in Q3 or Q4 2021.

Plenty of time to gather a downpayment, then.