Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

What was your star of the just-concluded KL International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2018? Mine was the Perodua X-Concept, by a big margin.

Big props to Hyundai for bringing a wide variety of displays, from its green technology flagship – the Nexo fuel cell EV – to the i30 N hot hatch that has been giving me inappropriate dreams. Meanwhile, the Toyota FT-1 Concept in graphite grey was as gorgeous as the first time I stared at it, four years ago in Jakarta. Even the human curves from Lexus stood no chance against the sensuous Supra proposal.

All well and good, but Perodua’s headlining display was the most significant of them all, because the X-Concept is “The Perodua of Tomorrow” – their words, not ours. Now, Malaysia’s market leader isn’t one to do things just for fun, and has a habit of keeping its cards glued to its chest, so when it wheels out something like the X-Concept, we sit up and take notice.

Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

Typically, it came as a surprise. Not just because we didn’t know of a Perodua concept car until the KLIMS press day, but because it looks good. IMHO, previous P2 concept car efforts have been a bit cartoonish and/or too fanciful, but this one oozes maturity and reflects the company’s newfound confidence in its design capabilities. Cover up the badges and the X-Concept could have been from any top carmaker.

But it’s still very much a practical Perodua, designed by Malaysians with (very demanding) Malaysian carbuyers in mind, as we found out talking to Perodua chief designer and the man behind the X-Concept, Muhamad Zamuren Bin Musa.

Firstly, if you were wondering what exactly is the X-Concept, you’re not alone. It’s a five-door hatchback, but is it Myvi-sized or smaller? There’s an ‘X’ in the name, so is this a crossover? “Mazda CX-3” came to mind when we had our sneak peek (literally, as only a part of the car’s profile was revealed to transport minister Anthony Loke during his tour; the car was fully revealed later during the press day) of the showcar. Perodua’s show brochure didn’t elaborate either.

Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

Zamuren, 43, answers our first question by stating that the X-Concept is not an SUV, but a regular compact hatchback with a tinge of crossover in the design. We wouldn’t have guessed, but the showcar’s footprint is between the Axia and the Myvi – in the metal, the X-Concept looks much bigger than it actually is.

The X-Concept’s footprint is 3,750 mm long by 1,665 mm wide, which puts both dimensions in between that of the Axia (3,640 mm long, 1,620 mm wide) and the Myvi (3,895 mm long, 1,735 mm wide). Ditto the 2,460 mm wheelbase, which is sandwiched by the Axia’s 2,455 mm and Myvi’s 2,500 mm. According to Zamuren, this package size – larger than today’s Axia, but still comfortably shaded by the Myvi – is for a global compact car, which you can read as A-segment.

If the size increase hints at a future Perodua A-segment hatchback moving away from its traditional Japanese kei-car roots, the styling double confirms the shift. “Their design is not 100% suitable for Malaysian tastes,” Zamuren said, in reference to Daihatsu designs for Japan and Indonesia markets, and how conditions in a country influences design.

Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

The X-Concept’s footprint is slightly bigger than the Axia’s, but it sits below the Myvi in size

“The environment in Japan is totally different from ours, the roads and houses are small, which suits kei cars. In Indonesia, it’s very congested and there isn’t much space on the road – the infrastructure there is also different (from ours), and cars have high ground clearance as a result,” he explained, before pulling out a food analogy to further agitate my rumbling tummy.

Likening our preference to nasi kandar versus sushi, Zamuren says that Malaysians like cars that are “complicated but simple” – something that’s heavy in design (kasi kuah campur, boss!) but “simple” in practicality and cost. JDM cars are more akin to sushi, which looks simple enough (it’s just raw fish on a lump of rice), but requires more skill and precision than a casual observer might appreciate.

Zamuren, who has been with Perodua for 21 years, agrees that Malaysian carbuyers are rather hard to please and they seem to want it all. “For Malaysians, everything must be sporty,” he quipped, adding that the X-Concept is as sporty as it can be without compromising practicality and space. “Practicality is the first priority,” he rightly stated.

Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

Having to consider the latter, which includes good luggage room, was a challenge for the team of six designers who worked on the X-Concept for six months. Everyone loves an emotional design, but have you noticed that Mazdas are a long way from the best in class when it comes to space and visibility? Balancing looks and practical aspects is tough, more so when one is working on a small footprint.

Zamuren is happy when I remark that the X-Concept looks larger than its dimensions suggest. He says that the main styling theme is “bold and muscular”, and the muscular effect was achieved by the slight “tucking in” of the profile, giving the sides more volume and sculpture.

They had to sacrifice 15 mm of rear cabin width for this, but as this is a compact car designed for young couples with small children at the back, the designer in him thinks it’s a good trade-off. I think that the two-tone cabin, which is dark and sporty in the cockpit while being light and airy at the back, makes sense too.

Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

Chief designer Muhamad Zamuren led a team of six to complete the X-Concept in six months

The flow of the lines also appear slightly pinched in the middle, amplifying the above-mentioned muscular effect. It’s topped off by the now de rigueur floating roof, unmissable here thanks to a white buffer zone on the C pillars. The windowline kink, while not as severe as on the Toyota C-HR, is another concession to style.

Note that while Perodua wanted the showcar to have “SUV juice”, the lack of black lower body cladding and overfenders typical of crossovers is intentional, as is the regular car ground clearance. Let’s just say that they didn’t have a Volkswagen CrossPolo in mind.

Moving to the front, one thing I found neat was the repetition of the stylised ‘X’ used in the logo. You can see the motif – which looks like an unjoined Under Armour mark – as part of the light-show cum wraparound grille, stamped on the lower intake, and in the rear light clusters.

Zooming out, the face itself has a prominent “X theme” going on, which Zamuren says is part of Perodua’s new design language that will feature in upcoming models. The above-mentioned “pinch” in the side profile also creates a gentle X.

The X-Concept’s lighting arrangement is unconventional, with LED main beams placed lower than usual. This style, which typically puts a slim LED DRL strip on the top tier, was seen on the Citroen C4 Cactus, and is currently being used by Hyundai on its SUVs. Zamuren says that LED technology takes up less space than an old-school headlamp module, which opens up styling possibilities not available previously.

The man and his team set out to inject character into a compact car design, and to blend sportiness and “muscle” with non-negotiable parameters such as footprint and cabin space. Given the constraints, I think the X-Concept is a fantastic effort. So, are we looking at an early proposal for the next-generation Axia, which by the way, has just turned four?

Perodua X-Concept – we chat with Muhamad Zamuren, the chief designer behind P2’s new design language

P2’s design boss, who has been free-flowing in speech thus far, glances at the PR minder between us, and says: “The X-Concept is just a study model for Perodua, to get customer feedback. We want to listen to the customer – can they accept this, is it too much, is it overdone? It’s experimental.”

As for the SUV flavour seen here and if we should expect crossover vibes in Perodua’s future hatchback models, Zamuren says that looking at the global auto trend, the SUV style would be dominant in the next five to 10 years. Although this is not yet the case in Malaysia (the segment is growing, though), the X-Concept is an “opportunity for us to check whether this is a good look for the Malaysian market. The hatchback is our core, our bread and butter, for now and the future.”

Just a flight of fancy? I think there’s more to the X-Concept than just an after-hours fun project by the design team. In his KLIMS 2018 speech, Perodua Sales MD Datuk Dr Zahari Husin said that the auto industry is seeing a demand that its products and services reflect the customer’s lifestyle.

“This change has fundamentally altered our approach to making cars; the car is no longer just a means of transport, but a symbol of who you are and a representation of your lifestyle,” he said.

Lifestyle. Purely functional and utilitarian cars won’t do it anymore moving forward, and if the X-Concept is anything to go by, “The Perodua of Tomorrow” would have design and some desirability as icing on the usual Perodua cake of sensible qualities.

GALLERY: Perodua X-Concept at KLIMS 2018

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • I thought the centre screen was something like Tesla when I saw the pictures but when i see the X-Concept in person, I could not believe is just a iPad with its home screen on……

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 1
    • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:34 am

      Look at this Zamuren. You can see that he works hard. He is highly focused in his dreams as well as Perodua’s dream to give the rakyat great cars

      This is why Perodua sells 200k cars per annum and Proton only sells 50,000 cars per annum.

      We can see, Perodua, because of Toyota’s Japanese work hard ethics, everyone in Perodua works hard to make the company into a very successful company.

      This concept, if it takes off, will be a great seller

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 56 Thumb down 20
      • Mustafa Kamal on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:55 am

        PRroton must learn from Perodua how to win people’s heart. P2 always makes cars what people want.

        P1 makes ugly cars like Proton Arena, Juara, Tiara and Savvy.

        With that kind of designs….who want to buy lah?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 13
        • Most Malaysian lousy taste Perodua make cars what Malaysian want so Perodua is lousy design and not competitive.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 7
          • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 1:52 pm

            Few million people have chosen Perodua. Does this mean few million people have lousy taste as claimed by you?

            I rather believe few million people than 1 frustrated keyboard warrior

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 9
          • yawnz on Dec 05, 2018 at 10:59 pm

            Pipu buy p2 coz it is cheap not because it is good.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
      • You are advocating Malaysians go to the “West”.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 4
      • Lousy taste John Minum Teh 8X advocating people to buy lousy Perodua. No wonder Malaysia automotive industry never improve. You can praise your feces but don’t refuse to admit that u r keyboard warrior too.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 3
      • Kreeff on Dec 06, 2018 at 9:43 am

        Perodua is a rebadge from daihatsu

        While

        Proton are proton…back the days when proton with mitsubishi …perodua was not even close…

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Raja Celup on Dec 04, 2018 at 8:53 pm

    This guy easily million times better than Baoteng chief designer. He knows what the customers want instead of forcing others to accept his idea. No wonder can sell millions of myvis and counting.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 34 Thumb down 18
    • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:35 am

      You are right. Perodua is 10 years younger than Baoteng and yet, they have never begged a single sen of bailout from the Government.

      Imagine if Perodua was given the RM20 bil bailout instead of Proton? Today, they will be bigger than even VW!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 8
    • autocad on Dec 05, 2018 at 9:32 am

      Agreed. Smart rakyat choose, proven right again

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • John Minum Teh 8X Fake News on Dec 04, 2018 at 8:56 pm

    Aiyoo look damn ugly when looking at Perodua X Concept SUV. Just look at Proton X70, looks better design and more inspiration

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 48
    • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:36 am

      It is only you who say it is ugly but at least the company does not lose RM4 million per day the past 20 years

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 20
      • p2macai on Dec 05, 2018 at 11:01 pm

        But why still rebadging? Why p2 cannot build cars from stracth? Why rebadge cars from toyota daihasut museum? Tipu gomen?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
    • musangking on Dec 05, 2018 at 11:31 am

      I think they just said its is regular compact car / A-hatchback to say. Not SUV.typical ignorant basher who are lazy to read.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 12
    • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 1:54 pm

      ignorant basher lazy in life and lazy to read. No mention of SUV

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
  • John Minum Teh 8X Fake News on Dec 04, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    Perodua sales surely sells 200000 units than Proton sales. Don’t worry. By the time in the next two years, Perodua will sell lesser which is 132000 units vs Proton sales will sell more which is 173000 units due to Perodua Technology looks damn outdated and very boring as well as Perodua performance is more reliable but feels boring when using boring engine without turbo. Whereas Proton looks more spacious, comfortable and feel very exciting when comes to drive Proton as well as Proton Performance is more reliable and fast as nowadays Proton is selling newer generation vehicles with better features and performances and safety features.

    So overall, majority people will surely buy Proton than Perodua.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 33
    • John Minum Teh 8X on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:38 am

      Proton can only do well with China’s help and China’s brains. Li Chunrong in 6 months have turned around Proton for the better, what local CEOs could not do in 20 years.

      We need more Li Chunrongs to run more of our GLCs

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 2
  • Peroteh8X finished on Dec 04, 2018 at 9:52 pm

    Habisla P2, this new design language for sure make P2 no sales at all

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 17
  • benzs on Dec 04, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    Local could design this car. Could local produce it?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
    • Can. If open competition and no crony and based on merit, not race.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Jason on Dec 04, 2018 at 11:40 pm

    This stylo konsep car deserve to get Rm500 mil R&D gov grant. Tahniah bro Zamuren!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 6
  • National Car on Dec 05, 2018 at 12:38 am

    Ugliest car ever produced.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 13
  • Nenek Kau on Dec 05, 2018 at 12:52 am

    Great effort by malaysian but the concept looks shitty in every way…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 10
  • Old horse on Dec 05, 2018 at 5:11 am

    Malaysia design Boleh !

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 3
  • Super Hero on Dec 05, 2018 at 6:26 am

    This guy watch too many Ironman movies.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 3
  • Aduiii all bashers, this is “concept car” lar, is not a final product yet, give some credit lar to this guy, ni bashing sana sini, sampai cerita ipad pun keluar, tak nampak pulak hang pandai design?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 5
    • Haha, krn Perodua fanboi pergi bash product yg hantar competition tu

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • pro-sann on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:47 am

    please lah paid ad is this? the car looks so shitty in real life like some plastic with sharp curve can cut you anytime. rubbish

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 4
  • Disgusting!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 3
  • I went KILMS 18, completely ignore and pass this brand booth.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 5
  • Ben Yap on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:53 am

    ok, ultimately what’s the 0-100 numbers? can it beat the mighty honda civic 1.5T?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 8
  • Akira on Dec 05, 2018 at 8:53 am

    I do feel that this concept is based on a Toyota C-HR.
    And then they do some rescrupturing.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Im once a car designer, just playing with rims and eyes already can get wow concept car. sometimes simple design is more beauty than have many features on its body. im not sure but i think the front portion was a bit weird and the side mirror was very tiny. since this is only a concept then its ok, 8/10 from me for the design

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
  • Norah on Dec 05, 2018 at 9:19 am

    This new Toyota SUV is way better than the Gerly X70. The design are so much better. The X70 looks so outdated and designed by some villagers from the China mountains totally no sense of art and beauty in the car at all. Dunno what kind of language they are trying to portray on the X70. Seems like they are trying so hard but its so ugly. Just like the other lousy garbage Proton cars. They say ugly mixed around with the ugly. Likewise goes to Proton and Gerly. Ugliness to the max.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 12
    • taknaktoyota on Dec 05, 2018 at 2:06 pm

      Toyota? SUV?
      where you got that?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • Obviously u talk nonsense, from my point of view the Perodua or Toyota SUV is very ugly and nobody will buy.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • Year2019 on Dec 05, 2018 at 9:46 am

    Concept car ni dah kuar for the last 2 years. Come on Perodua. If nak produce, pls produce. X payah teased 2-3 kali tapi produce nya x.. Better buat 3d video teaser je. At least x membazir duit R&D tu. Takkan FOR YOUR EYES ONLY….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • Lalaland on Dec 05, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Looks like a cartoon car or hotwheels car more than a concept car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • Toned down side profile and rear would make it into production

    But not the front, with pesky motorcyclist having a knack of scratching your bumpers while weaving through heavy traffic, you don’t want your headlamps to be low and at the very edge of your bumpers and fender

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • SALang on Dec 05, 2018 at 11:20 am

    Anyone remember the Bezza concept car?
    But what the actual production car we have today is totally different from the concept. I cant see the similarity in the Bezza concept and production.
    I guess this will be the same for X-Concept here. Let see what is the actual production car looks like.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Perodua is always better in designing than Proton…Proton is on slightly better side of engineering….
    Proton/Gelly please sack that Azlan he was the one to blame for a big part of the failure of Proton

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • StayConceptPls! on Dec 05, 2018 at 2:25 pm

    Sorry to say this but this concept car is trying to hard…concept car don’t need to be so “busy” with all the lines and curve and the ipad thing is a joke!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • money on Dec 05, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    u will have problem open door in small parking space with car park beside u.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • pengomel on Dec 05, 2018 at 6:19 pm

    this guy is the same person who designed bezza long time ago. when bezza is just a concept car, it looks very futuristic and everyone says wow..this is the future of perodua, can beat other brand. but when it came to production, nobody cares..it’s just an axia with tonggek ass. so, this x-concept whatever soon or later could be just a rebadge toyota rush. no matter how good the concept design is, it just a rebadge rush. fact.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • mazlanFriedRice on Mar 01, 2019 at 1:58 pm

    Azlan > all

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Cik Anna Nimus on Sep 27, 2019 at 3:41 am

    Such a big engine bay for the size of between axia and myvi.. Are they going to put 1.0l 3 cylinder tgdi twin turbo and a 4at gearbox inside?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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