A new Perodua Myvi could see the light of day as early as the fourth quarter of this year, if a report by The Sun is to be believed. Research house MIDF Research predicted the arrival of the next-gen hatchback as a catalyst for strong sales in the automotive sector for the second half of 2017.
The ballpark provided may seem like guesswork, but the current model is due for a replacement, given that it’s already six years old – the first Myvi was also discontinued after six years. Besides, the expected base for the new car, the latest Toyota Passo/Daihatsu Boon, has been out on the market for a year now, so a Perodua version will come sooner rather than later.
With that out of the way, let’s talk specifics. The next Myvi is expected to use a range of new 1.3 litre and 1.5 litre Toyota NR engines, including the 94 hp/121 Nm 1NR-VE 1.3 litre Dual VVT-i mill used in the Bezza. Those engines will almost certainly be matched to either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed electronic automatic transmission (E-AT).
Also expected to be inherited from the Bezza are the new technologies introduced on the new sedan, including keyless entry, push button start, an Eco Idle automatic engine start/stop system and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) on range-topping variants.
Don’t discount the availability of driver assists like autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning, either – Perodua has been seen trialling a Daihatsu Move Custom with the Smart Assist II system in downtown Kuala Lumpur before, so it’s not as far-fetched a technology as you’d think.
GALLERY: 2016 Toyota Passo
