UPDATE: The new Toyota MPV that the Perodua MPV will be based on has been unveiled! Click the linked text to find out how the new MPV looks like as well as its dimensions and specifications.
An interview with Perodua managing director Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar in The Edge Weekly has revealed some plans about Perodua this year. For one, Perodua will be undergoing a rebranding sometime in the middle of the year, which will coincide with the launch of the new Perodua Kembara. The rebranding exercise will also give Perodua a new logo, which will be more of a restyled evolution of the current one rather than something new.
The new Perodua Kembara will come with a 1.5 litre engine (likely the 3SZ-VE) and will have four-wheel drive. It will not be assembled locally by Perodua but will be a CBU import from Japan. It will be a low volume product, and the expected price tag is likely to be more than the Toyota Rush because of its higher specs (the 4WD drivetrain) and Japan sourcing. It will be targetted at the urban, upper-middle income group. Expect the new Perodua Kembara to be based on the short wheel base Daihatsu Terios with a May 2008 launch date.
Another surprise revealed in the article is Perodua’s plans for 2009. Perodua will launch a new three row 6-seater MPV by the end of 2009. Datuk Hafiz likened it to a Toyota Wish, but a smaller version. I wonder what could this be based on. Can’t really think of any compact 6-seaters from Daihatsu/Toyota other than the Daihatsu Gran Max, but that’s more of a Rusa-like van. (UPDATE: The Perodua MPV codenamed D46T will be based on the Toyota Passo Sette!)
Xinhua News Agency reported on the 5th of March 2008 that Toyota and Daihatsu is developing a new MPV in Indonesia. The MPV is set to be launched in 2009. This model is could be the one that the new 2009 Perodua MPV will be based on.
Anyway whatever it is, it’s something to look forward to next year. 2009 seems to be the year of the MPVs.
