Statement by Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Sri Zainal Abidin Ahmad on the status of the new Perodua Axia
Daihatsu Co. Ltd issued a media statement on 28 April 2023 highlighting its “procedural irregularity” on the testing of four models, which include the new Perodua Axia.
We wish to offer some background, insight and perspective on the nature of this announcement, especially in reference to the new Perodua Axia.
Perodua engaged Daihatsu Co Ltd to carry out safety testing for the new Perodua Axia in Japan, which was witnessed by relevant authorities and agencies for their respective assessment.
As we receive news of this “procedural irregularity” by Daihatsu, we immediately contacted these bodies to determine if the safety standard of the Perodua Axia was compromised.
We were assured that despite the revelation by Daihatsu, the UN-R95 certification given to the Perodua Axia is intact.
This means that the Perodua Axia is safe for driving and no recall will be issued nor will Perodua stop delivery of this new model to our valued customers.
We apologise for any distress caused to our customers on this matter and we wish to assure that the safety information and specification of all our models are verified by professional bodies.
We will continue to monitor this situation and will update the public on this matter as it develops. We place our customers safety and comfort above all else and we will continue to do so as part of our practice of Going Beyond of what is expected.
The above statement comes after Reuters reported on April 28th 2023 that Toyota Motor Corp’s affiliate Daihatsu (who is the technical partner to Perodua) rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests carried out for some 88,000 compact cars (Axia included), most of which were sold under the Toyota brand, the companies said on Friday.
They said the door trim on the affected vehicles had been modified with a “notch” to minimise the risk in testing that the door interior could break with a sharp edge and cause injury to an occupant when the side airbag deployed in an accident.
Daihatsu said it had discovered the rigged safety test after a whistle-blower report. It said it had reported the issue to regulatory agencies and stopped shipment of affected models.
The affected models include Toyota Yaris Ativ made in Thailand from last August, and Perodua Axias manufactured in Malaysia starting from February.
Of the 88,000-plus vehicles, some 76,000 were Yaris models mainly bound for Thailand, Mexico and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Daihatsu said.
