PETALING JAYA: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sendirian Bhd (Perodua) is expecting to secure about 27 per cent from its projected 235,000 vehicles sales this year would be driven by the Axia model.
With the launch of the new facelift version of the Axia earlier today, Perodua also aims to sell about 6,000 units monthly.
Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said the manufacturer had received over 5,000 bookings for the new Axia, since order-taking began on August 22.
“For over a quarter of a century, Perodua has mobilised Malaysia with quality compact vehicles that offer practicality, dependability, ease to drive and low overall ownership costs.
“For these reasons and more, the Perodua Kancil and Viva were popular choices for an entire generation of Malaysians buying their first cars,” he said during the launch of the Perodua Axia here today.
Zainal Abidin said the new Axia, which is an energy-efficient vehicle, also offers Malaysians major advances in safety and style, while retaining its affordability.
“It is our aspiration to share as much as possible our latest technology across all our vehicles variants to the general public,” he added.
Available in six variants; E, G, GXtra, SE, AV and new STYLE, the new Axia are priced between RM24,090 and RM43,190, on-the-road (OTR) without insurance for Peninsular Malaysia.
Zainal Abidin said the company would offer value-proposition for the new Axia, despite the additional cost it may incur by offering latest advanced technology.
“We offer the same advanced technology but with affordable prices,” he said.
Perodua managing director said Datuk Dr Zahari Husin said the company’s aspiration to maintain affordability across its vehicles would attract more customers underpinned by advanced technology offering.
“We try to absorb as much as possible the additional cost but not at 100 per cent rate. We work closely with vendors (supply chain) to manage the material cost to the level that we can absorb,” he said.
He said Perodua had initiated the cost-reduction programme in the last four years to reduce vehicles prices via improvement in production facility, making it more efficient.
Perodua chairman Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin said the company has produced and sold about 3.7 million vehicles nationwide over the course of 26 years.
“We hope we have made a significant impact on the daily lives of Malaysians. Perodua is so much more than just about selling cars,” he said.
For the first eight months of 2019, Perodua sold over 160,000 vehicles, commanding about 40 per cent of the Malaysian market share.
As at August 2019, Perodua sold 44,193 units of the Axia.
Asmat said Perodua has also spent about RM3.5 billion during the period on automative parts from 125 Malaysians suppliers, supporting the local automotive ecosystem.
“The 2019 Axia is the result of our continuous improvement efforts in the areas of safety, practicality and overall value in our products,” he said.
The range-topping AV variant of the 2019 Perodua Axia equipped with advanced safety assist (ASA) 2.0, comprising pedestrian detection (up to 50 km/h), pre-collision warning (up to 100 km/h), pre-collision braking (up to 80 km/h), front departure alert and pedal misoperation control functions to mitigate collisions.
Also, all variants from GXtra and above come with vehicle stability control (VSC) and traction control, and all variants except the base E have anti-lock braking system with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution as standard
Meanwhile, the STYLE variant equipped with more sportier rugged-looking front and rear bumpers with skid plate elements, all-round body cladding, clear-lens tail lamps, roof mouldings, a rear spoiler and striking 15-inch five-spoke alloys.
With rated fuel efficiencies of 22.5 km/l for the manual, 21.6 km/l for the auto and 20.8 km/l for the new STYLE variant, the new Axia continues to be among the most fuel-efficient vehicles on sale today.
