Perodua aims to increase its purchase of local parts to RM4 billion this year, as the market leader anticipates higher sales for 2010. The company purchased RM3 billion worth of parts in 2008 and 2009. More than 130 local vendors and suppliers will benefit from this development, revealed Perodua chairman, Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin. “We are projecting sales of 176,000 units this year from 166,700 units in 2009,” he said.

Bernama reports that the Rawang based company has invested RM97 million on facilities for R&D and more than RM1.5 billion on model development over the past 13 years. It added that Perodua’s strategic partnership with Daihatsu has allowed the local firm to tap into the “technologically advanced facilities and manpower expertise of Daihatsu”.

Perodua also has plans to expand across ASEAN. “Thailand offers huge opportunity while we plan to increase current exports to Singapore and Brunei,” Asmat said. Besides those nations, other export markets include United Kingdom, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Fiji. Perodua also exported components worth RM27.3 million to Japan, Indonesia and Pakistan last year.

At the same press conference held in conjunction with the visit of Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir to its plant, MD of Perodua, Aminar Rashid Salleh was quoted as saying that “the Myvi will undergo a facelift this year”. Another facelift? The current Myvi was refreshed back in August 2008, three years after Perodua launched the car in Malaysia. Perhaps the boss was trying to mean a “new Myvi” based on the second-generation Toyota Passo that made its domestic debut last month? That seems more likely, but we’ll see!

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