Earlier this year, it was reported that Daihatsu was planning to roll out a hybrid version of the Rocky before the year was out. That’s very much the case, with confirmation that the Rocky e:Smart Hybrid is due to go on sale in Japan in November. This was indicated by a teaser page about the upcoming model on the company’s domestic website, which seems to have been made live a day too early.
The page has since been pulled, but its presence was good enough to provide some valuable details about what to expect. From what can be gleaned, the exterior doesn’t veer from the standard Rocky, with a new honeycomb grille and additional badging the only visible cues.
All the action happens underneath the skin. The Rocky hybrid will be powered by a variation of the normally-aspirated 1.2 litre three-cylinder WA-VE engine already available for it, the powertrain on the hybrid gaining an X suffix, which incidentally, is the suffix Toyota uses to designate an Atkinson cycle mill.
No technical details on the WA-VEX unit, aside from a mention that the engine achieves a high thermal efficiency of 40%. The base WA-VE 1.2 litre offers 86 PS at 6,000 rpm and 105 Nm at 4,200, so the numbers for the X shouldn’t veer very far. Likewise, there’s no specifications or output mentioned for the electric motor that’s paired with the block, so we’ll have to wait for more on that.
The literature also mentions that the “e-Smart Hybrid, which runs on a 100% motor, demonstrates its strength at once from the moment the accelerator is depressed,” suggesting full-hybrid pinnings. Elsewhere, the SUV will also get a one-pedal driving mode via a S-PDL smart pedal system.
With the feature active, the accelerator pedal can be used to accelerate, slow down the car or come to a stop, much in the same vein as how Nissan’s e-Pedal works. The smart pedal can be selected when driving in Normal and Eco modes, but can be switched off if not to the driver’s fancy.
The hybrid will also be a quieter car – the automaker mentions that sound insulation has been added to six key areas of the vehicle, incuding the hood, floor, engine undercarriage and firewall. It’ll be interesting to see if these improvements eventually make it on to the Perodua Ativa.
Speaking of that, the debut of the Rocky e:Smart – which happens to be the first hybrid for the company since 2010 – paves the way for the Ativa to go down the hybridisation route. Do you think a 1.2 litre hybrid system sounds appealing? Share your thoughts on the matter in the comments section.
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Takpayah fikir, takpayah pening. Beli je perodua…
tokok since 2003 and still koktalking. Show me the car!!!
Based on nissan Note e power
It’s easily 25km/L.
If it is just that, this hybrid thing isn’t that compelling no, what with supposedly Bezza ICE car is just shy of 21km/L. Doesn’t seem worth lugging all that battery weight.
There’s a difference
Hybrid is the greener Turbo.
You get full torque from zero rpm. Relaxing pickup.
The hybrid only need recharging by engine @ higher speed or 12mins/hour during idling.
So you can take a good nap @ the car without worry of Carbon Monoxide toxic, in open car park.
Hybrid also emits CO just in lesser quantities.
Talk talk talk. Talkkok till the cows come home and still talking kok most importantly mana perodua hybrid cars since they promised us back in 2003. Why PT never highlight this is a mystery. Perodua have 28 year ties with Daihatsu and Toyota yet still not get an entry to their hybrid tech and not a peep from PT writers. Meanwhile Proton have a freshly made 4 year old start with Geely and yet PT writers feel the need to harp on Proton getting EV tech from Geely. Is there an agenda to plotek P2 while whacking P1? Pls no double stendard hypocrisy writing.
no point griping about it. they just want you & the others to visit their website & post comments as often as possible because it’ll be good business for them.
Last year, people like DK said the same thing when PT wrote many X50 articles and you got angry at them, yet now u do the same thing. Plus P2 never promised to make any hybrid car, stop the copy paste
Shaddup DK, we know it is you. Now this shoe is on the other foot, you have no rights to gripe on others gripping about P2. Point is you talk alot, promise alot but nothing to show.
Yea lmao, accuse me of being DK, Kunta, roti john etc when you know nothing. Just relax and respect both P1 and P2
If the price is right, it’s appealing. If it hits RM 80k for this car with hybrid, please don’t bring in at all.
Too expensive It’s like rm100k city hybrid, d.o.A.
X50 AEB turbo better for 100k
Dayum the body kit’s line is way more appealing than what we currently have here, face vents here and there over designed yikes