We wonder why Perodua seems to be taking a back seat to Proton’s current offensive into the compact crossover segment. Yes, we are talking about the Proton X50 which right now has almost 20,000 bookings even before an official launch has been done and final selling prices revealed.
The Proton X50 is a product from Proton’s partner Geely and this crossover which is called the Bin Yue in China and Coolray in Philippines where it was launched with success earlier this year will ‘eat’ into Perodua’s market share in the under RM80,000 buyers market in coming months.
The Proton X50 will also take away sales from Honda, Toyota and Nissan in Malaysia and this is why there is a hard market offensive right now from the established Japanese brands to keep their market share.
Meanwhile, market leader Perodua who has the continued success of the Perodua Aruz 7-Seat Crossover and the compact Myvi hatchback has been teasing the launch of their new new compact 5-Seat Crossover to rival the Proton X50.
Codenamed DL55, this new Perodua is a reworked Daihatsu Rocky. This new Perodua will feature a compact body with a length of 3,995 millimeters and 1,695 millimeters wide. It will be equipped with 17-inch tires and protruding fenders, which will provide that crossover look that many buyers want today.
This crossover will boast a class-leading 369-liter luggage capacity; the rear seats can also be folded to further increase the cargo space available, enabling particularly large or long items of luggage to be loaded. In addition, there are storage solutions located throughout the cabin, resulting in a highly convenient interior space.
This Perodua will use the newly developed light-weight, highly rigid body and suspension that will contribute to outstanding handling stability and ride comfort.
Under the bonnet will be a new 1.0-liter turbo engine with D-CVT which is co-developed by Toyota and Daihatsu that will provide the torque and driving ease of a 1.5-liter engine, as well as outstanding fuel efficiency.
PRESS RELEASE: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Daihatsu”) announced the launch of the new compact crossover Rocky on November 5th 2019 as part two of the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA), which it will use to create a new generation of vehicles.
New technologies based on DNGA adopt collective planning and development and update all elements of Daihatsu’s platform in order to ensure that the new technologies would be compatible with CASE while at the same time rapidly expanding its product line-up. The completely redesigned Tanto mini passenger vehicle launched in July 2019 was the first to incorporate these technologies.
The Rocky is the first compact car using DNGA. It is also the first model to be added to Toyota Motor Corporation’s line-up as a DNGA product. Using packaging technologies based on DNGA, the Rocky—a SUV—is a compact car classified as a small passenger vehicle with good maneuverability that not only has a spacious cabin and ample luggage space, but also realizes a powerful design adopting large 17-inch tires.
Although the SUV market has been expanding in recent years, there is a lot of feedback from customers that they want a SUV for leisure but are not good at handling large vehicles. Therefore, Daihatsu focused on developing a new product with high quality at affordable prices for active users that is easy to drive while sporting a SUV-like design.
For the active safety system, two functions—blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert—have been added to Next-Generation Smart Assist to improve safety when checking behind the vehicle. It is also the first to be installed with Daihatsu Connect, a connected function utilizing smartphones.
Furthermore, a high level of basic performance has been achieved through the new DNGA platform, including a neutral ride, high driving stability, and smooth acceleration.
We wait patiently for Perodua to announce the launch of their DL55, all new crossover as the segment is growing fast and needs more excitement.
