Perodua confirms sedan production. Could be powered by Toyota NR engine.

Perodua’s president and CEO Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh confirmed today that the company is in the midst of developing its much anticipated sedan. However, he refused to share any details on when it will be revealed and told the press to “just wait for the announcement lah”. 

Updates

• Perodua’s new RM600million engine plant in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan, which will be building 1.3 and 1.5-litre Toyota NR-series engines, will be ready in June this year.
• Since none of Perodua’s current models are being powered by these engines, chances are that the new sedan could be powered by the mills made in Sendayan.

What we already know (based on Datuk Aminar's announcement in July 2015)

• A prototype already exists, and Perodua will be partnering with either Daihatsu or Toyota for the production of the vehicle. It is believed that Perodua will be leading the charge on this project, with its Japanese counterpart overseeing its development. This is due to the fact that Daihatsu does not have a sedan in its portfolio at the moment to be shared with the national car manufacturer.
• The upper body design of the vehicle will be, from the ground up, Malaysian designed.
• Aminar also revealed that the sedan, which could be based on the Perodua Buddyz concept which made its debut at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 (KLIMS 13), will be revealed before 2019.
• The sedan could take up to four years to develop. The speculations are that the project already began when the Buddyz concept was revealed in 2013. Now that three years have passed, there are high chances for the car to be ready in 2017 – just in time to compete with Proton’s new entry level cars that are also due in 2017.
• The car will probably come with Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and more airbags than what is offered in the current Myvi and Axia as Perodua is aiming to achieve 5-Star NCAP rating with the new sedan.

That said, Datuk Aminar reaffirmed, “It’s going to be a good car, but we don’t dare set too big targets for it just yet. We already have a prototype in testing, and we've had it for almost a year now. So given the natural time frame for the development of a vehicle, you will see it soon.”

Watch this space for more updates on Perodua's new compact sedan. 

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