Perodua Confirms “Looking Into” Myvi GT
At a sales performance event in KL, Malaysian automotive juggernaut Perodua has finally let some air out of the bag surrounding the heavily-rumoured Myvi GT, an idea brought about by a concept car that was presented at the 2019 KLIMS as a concept car that caught the imagination of a large number of people.
Taking the question head-on, Dato Dr. Zahari Husin answered that while the KLIMS concept car was very costly to produce and will most certainly not make production, Perodua is indeed looking into the possibility of producing a ‘Myvi GT’ that is more affordable and more acceptable price-wise to Perodua’s customer base, which has lit the flame of possibility for those who hold the idea of a slightly-dearer but much more endearing version of the Perodua Myvi.
Confidential sources have reported that prior to the launch of the Perodua Myvi, the company had investigated the possibility of working with local suspension tuner and production company FTuned Racing, to deliver a drive & ride experience that is more in keeping with the tastes of Malaysian car buyers, both those keen on driving and those keen on durability. We’re made to understand that the deal fell through after a great deal of effort from both parties, due to an internal impasse that neither firm was open to negotiating on.
If Perodua picked up from where they left off with FTuned, it could result in a Myvi GT with properly competitive suspension components that would put it on par drive-wise with the PROTON Iriz. That would then raise another question regarding the chassis, and whether or not the chassis of the Myvi was developed with driver engagement in mind, or if it was merely made to be cost-, material-, and production-efficient.
Looking beyond the obvious production speedbumps and developmental issues that will naturally crop up as Perodua moves towards making the Myvi GT a reality, we can’t help but toy with the idea a little more. The Perodua Myvi is already a very handsome and very well-designed thing, and in our review, we remarked that the Myvi lacked the positive feedback and engaging drive that the PROTON Iriz continues to win fans with. With the Myvi GT, sitting as perhaps the flagship Myvi model in the future, Perodua could win back fans and convert a few more buyers from non-national brands perhaps, all buying into the idea of a fun, sharp, reliable Malaysian hatchback.