Perodua D63D Sedan

Perodua D63D sedan rendered based on Buddyz

In Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Perodua / By Jonathan James Tan / 8 June 2015 10:05 am / 93 comments

In case you’ve missed it, it’s a go – the Perodua sedan, codenamed D63D, has officially been given the green light, as recently revealed by president and CEO Datuk Aminar Rashid. Now in the prototype stage, Perodua is evaluating the engine, platform and gearbox for the project it’s sort of taking the lead on, since no sedan currently exists in the Daihatsu universe.

The finished product could surface anytime between 2016 and 2018, and will have an upper body designed completely in-house by Perodua. The carmaker is also targeting a five-star NCAP safety rating here – does this mean the sedan will be the first Perodua ever to get electronic stability control (ESC)?

Theophilus Chin has rendered yet another Perodua sedan – his second sedan based on KLIMS13’s Buddyz concept. But while his first Buddyz effort involved very minor tweaks (the car still looked like a concept), this one packs sensible wing mirrors, projector headlamps connected to a slim grille, vertical LED DRLs/fog lamps, a bee-sting antenna, a rear diffuser-like element and a rather generic-looking rump.

Of course, several Buddyz cues remain, such as the tall, angular roofline and the GT-R-like front haunches (I am so sorry, Godzilla fans). The rendering maestro also famously created the Jaguh brochure hoax in 2013, which involved reskinning a Toyota Etios. He has also rendered an A-segment Perodua sedan and one based on the Myvi facelift.

Perodua Buddyz concept at KLIMS13

93 comments | Leave a comment?
Perodua D63D sedan approved, out as soon as 2016

In Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Perodua / By Jonathan James Tan / 21 May 2015 10:29 am / 124 comments

Perodua sedan imagined by Theophilus Chin based on Myvi facelift

Perodua president and CEO Datuk Aminar Rashid has revealed some details regarding the upcoming Perodua sedan – which we now know to be codenamed D63D – at the ongoing Myvi 10th Anniversary drive event. For the record, the codenames are D54T for the Myvi, D46T for the Alza and D87A for the Axia.

The sedan has been approved and is now in the prototype stage. Perodua is already evaluating the engine, platform and transmission. The platform employed should be an existing Toyota/Daihatsu platform, although there’s no indication yet on which one it could be.

No such car (sedan) exists in the current Daihatsu universe, so Perodua will sort of be taking the lead on this project. The upper body, for instance, will be completely designed in-house by Perodua.

Aminar also revealed that Perodua is targeting a five-star NCAP safety rating with the sedan – it was not mentioned, but the NCAP is likely to be ASEAN NCAP. If so, this means electronic stability control is planned for the new Perodua D63D sedan, since ESC is a must-have for a five-star ASEAN NCAP safety rating. If it gets it, the new sedan will be the first Perodua ever to offer ESC.

“(Translated) Not this year. Next year maybe, or even the year after that. But not 2019 or 2020,” was Aminar’s reply on when the new sedan will debut.

Talk of P2 considering a sedan has been buzzing about for quite some time. There was KLIMS10’s Bezza concept and KLIMS13’s Buddyz concept, the latter of which Theo tweaked a bit. The rendering maestro also famously created the Jaguh brochure hoax in 2013, which involved reskinning a Toyota Etios. He has also rendered an A-segment Perodua sedan.

GALLERY: Perodua Bezza at KLIMS 2010

GALLERY: Perodua Buddyz at KLIMS 2013

124 comments | Leave a comment?
Perodua to add fourth model – long-awaited sedan?

In Cars, Local News, Perodua / By Gregory Sze / 10 February 2015 4:15 pm / 71 comments

Perodua president and CEO, Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh, has hinted at a new, fourth model that could soon join the firm’s range. As sales of its new Axia model goes through the roof, Perodua is looking to further capitalise on the momentum, Aminar stating that “three models in the line-up are simply not sufficient,” Bernama reports.

Despite the lack of details when pushed for more, it’s common knowledge that Perodua has been eyeing the compact sedan genre for quite some time now. It first tested the waters with the introduction of two concepts in the form of the Perodua Bezza back in 2010 and more recently, with the Perodua Buddyz in 2013.

The potential sedan has even been rendered a number of times by Theophilus Chin – the latest being today’s Myvi-based iteration. In a paultan.org exclusive interview, it was revealed that a potential Perodua sedan will not be derived from any Toyota/Daihatsu sedan model, instead being completely designed from the ground-up in Malaysia. The concept’s chief designer, Muhammad Zamuren Musa, had said that “locals know the local needs best” when demonstrating the Buddyz’s immense boot.

How successful would Perodua’s first attempt at a compact sedan be? Do let us know what you think in the comments below.

GALLERY: Perodua Buddyz concept

71 comments | Leave a comment?
Perodua A-segment sedan concept – another take

In Cars, Local News, Perodua / By Anthony Lim / 19 February 2014 8:29 pm / 51 comments

Click to enlarge.

Perodua is due to introduce a new model in the second half of the year, a car that might quite possibly be very closely related to the Toyota Agya/Daihatsu Ayla eco-car sold in Indonesia. An example of the latter – debadged at that – was spied recently in KL undergoing road trials, adding to the speculation.

What’s certain is that it’ll be a hatchback, and though it has been bandied about enough times in the past, a Perodua sedan isn’t about to happen anytime soon. That hasn’t stopped rendering wiz Theophilus Chin from coming up with a fresh take on a Perodua A-segment sedan.

There’s only a side silhouette render, the profile referring to that of the Hyundai Xcent, according to him. Avoiding the usual look that most A-segment-derived sedans have, which is usually awkward looking and ill-proportioned, the rendering features a car that is less top-heavy. Black plastic strips on the doors help to visually reduce the surface area, making the car look lower, says Theo.

It’s not the first render he’s done on what a Perodua sedan could shape up like. There was a Toyota Etios-based take, and who can forget the elaborate hoax that was the Jaguh, complete with full brochure and all!

51 comments | Leave a comment?
Perodua Buddyz sedan – thoughts behind the design

In Cars, Concept Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Perodua, Videos / By Hafriz Shah / 26 November 2013 2:59 pm / 84 comments

KLIMS13 is now over – if you’ve somehow missed it, do check out our comprehensive coverage of all the models on display there, and by that we mean the ladies too.

Arguably the most important car to be revealed there is the Perodua Buddyz Concept, which previews the local carmaker’s future foray into the sedan market.

The design study’s somewhat unorthodox looks have drawn a lot of attention from the public eyes – mostly negative views, we must add. But, there are a lot of reasons why the Buddyz looks the way it does, as explained by its Chief Designer Muhamad Zamuren Musa in an exclusive interview with paultan.org last week. Read it in full here.

Watch the official video above to get plenty of insights on how the concept was designed, and continue reading below as we find out the thoughts that lay behind the Buddyz’s bizarre looks.

Click here to read the full interview.

84 comments | Leave a comment?
Perodua Buddyz concept sedan debuts at KLIMS13

In Cars, Concept Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Perodua / By Jonathan James Tan / 14 November 2013 6:56 pm / 151 comments

Taking pride of place at Perodua’s KLIMS13 stand is a concept optimistically called the Global Model Sedan (GMS) Buddyz. Targeted at Gen Y and Gen Z consumers, the four-door study features a clean, angular shape with striking lighting elements.

The Buddyz is widely believed to hint at a future production sedan by Perodua, which, we’re told, is entering the second phase of its feasibility study. Remember the Perodua Bezza concept from KLIMS 2010? This is an evolution of the Bezza following consumer feedback.

Perodua says the Buddyz is “the perfect combination of local and global automotive trends.” The front end evidently derives more than a couple of aesthetic elements from the Myvi, albeit dressed up with blue LEDs on the headlamps and sides of the front bumper. Round the back, red LEDs run across the bootlid.

The even more space-age cabin is claimed to be a fusion of “architectural design and discerning home decor”. There’s a swooping, ‘floating’ dashboard with no centre stack, a control dial on the centre console with an engine start button and a central display screen.

The driver looks at a futuristic two-layer instrument panel through a funky, slightly oblong-shaped steering wheel with audio switches and shift paddles. Those foot pedals are unique, to say the least, and there are screens built into the backs of the front seats.

We’re told the Buddyz isn’t based on any existing platform used by Perodua, and that the concept sedan has been developed from the ground up by a team of local designers led by Muhamad Zamuren Musa, representing a step towards the development of its own platform.

151 comments | Leave a comment?
Perodua sedan concept set to debut at KLIMS 2013

In Cars, Perodua / By Paul Tan / 12 November 2013 5:37 pm / 44 comments

Perodua has teased the sedan concept that it will be exhibiting at KLIMS13 via its website.

As we only have outlines of the car to look at for now, we can’t make out much, but the front end does bear a family resemblance to the new Perodua Myvi. The headlamps are sharper than the Myvi’s, but the way the front grille meets the headlamps is similar.

The car doesn’t look like it has a particularly large boot, instead having more of a notchback design. We’re curious to check out the concept in real life to see if Perodua has pulled off the sedan roofline well.

We’ll be covering the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 extensively as we always do, so check back for our coverage later this week.

44 comments | Leave a comment?
Perodua talk of going the sedan route continues

In Cars, Local News, Perodua / By Anthony Lim / 5 June 2012 1:37 pm / 106 comments

The talk that Perodua is mulling the possibility of producing sedan cars in the near future has resurfaced. It was initially reported in February that the second national car company was looking to go down the path of building cars with an engine capacity larger than 1.5 litres.

The company’s managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh told reporters yesterday that Perodua was currently studying the idea, but didn’t elaborate on details. “This is my aspiration. If there is opportunity and allowed by our partners and shareholders, this is what we would like to do,” he said.

The company showcased a sedan concept called the Bezza at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show back in 2010, but going down the sedan route will quite possibly see the involvement of a JV with UMW Holdings, according to reports. Incidentally, the rendering above is Theophilus Chin’s take on a Toyota Etios with Perodua badging.

Aminar added that Perodua would not be heading down the hybrid or electric vehicle path. “It’s expensive to build these cars and we don’t have the technology and research and development facilities,” he stated.

106 comments | Leave a comment?