PUTRAJAYA: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) plans to feature more Asean-oriented design in its next compact sedan.
President and chief executive office Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said to date, Perodua only has one model in the compact sedan which is Perodua Bezza.
He said in a press conference at Asian Compact Sedan Design Competition (ACSDC 2023) today that redesign planning for Bezza would likely start from now for a complete model change in two or three years.
In its bid of gathering inspiration for a design that caters to Asean taste, Perodua collaborated with Malaysian Design Council (MRM) to organise ACSDC 2023 to promote good design and stimulate competitiveness among car designers.
The competition is open for participation to Asean countries and can be divided into two categories namely university students and professional designers.
Zainal said the competition aims to attract more vibrant ideas and reach more younger talents who are passionate about automotive design.
He said Asean countries participation will allow the infusion of ideas from different parts of the region to be adopted in the design of its next car.
Zainal said the competition will span seven months until eight contestants are shortlisted.
The shortlisted candidates will then develop a full-scale model and present the design thinking behind each design.
He reiterated that the competition is a platform to gather design inspiration and the long term target for the competition is to elevate Malaysia as the next hub for automotive design in the region.
MRM director Husaini Ismail said the collaboration between Perodua and MRM is a milestone in the automotive industry.
He said over RM100,000 of prizes and incentives will await the finalists.