Myvi the Best Model of the Year (Malaysia)

Perodua

PERUSAHAAN Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) was established in 1993 and was to spearhead the country’s development of a compact car. The entry of Perodua as the second national car maker was viewed to be not a competitor to Proton but rather complement the industry by making compact cars for Malaysians.

Perodua was a joint-venture company between Malaysian and Japanese partners and the shareholders of Perodua are UMW Corp with 38% stake, Daihatsu Motor (20%), MBM Resources Bhd (20%), PNB Equity Resources Corp Sdn Bhd (10%), Mitsui & Co (7%) and Daihatsu Malaysia (5%).

The factory was officially opened by former prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad in August 1994 and the company’s first car – the Kancil – was launched on Aug 29 the same year.

With the initial capacity of the factory at about 45,000 cars a year, demand for the Kancil was strong and in just over a year, in December 1995, the company rolled out its 50,000th car. The success of the Kancil led to Perodua launching its first national commercial vehicle, the Rusa in March 1996.

In May 1997, production capacity was raised to 120,000 units annually and by January 1997, Perodua rolled out its 100,000th car and in August 1998, the company unveiled another first in Malaysia, the country’s first locally assembled four-wheel drive vehicle, the Kembara.

Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Omar

Perodua continued to prosper in the following years as new models added to the success of the Kancil, which in September 1999 rolled out its 250,000th car under the stewardship of former managing director Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Omar.

New models were subsequently introduced which saw the Perodua Kenari introduced in June 2000 and in August the next year, the Kelisa was launched in Malaysia.

In 2002, the new look Kancil was launched and marked the first time a major facelift for the Kancil was done.

Access to Daihatsu’s parent company Toyota’s technology led to the Kembara gaining access to Toyota’s DVVT technology that boosted engine performance and lowered petrol consumption.

A huge turning point in Perodua’s history came in May 2005 when the Myvi was launched. The car was a wild commercial success for Perodua and initial sales were more than double what the company had originally forecast. Huge waiting lists ensued and Perodua devoted more resources to building the Myvi.

When Perodua rolled out its millionth car on August that year, what it achieved in December that year was arguably an even bigger milestone.

In December 2005, Perodua, helped by the popularity of the Myvi, surpassed Proton in terms of monthly sales and has remained the largest seller of national cars since.

In October 2006 Perodua’s Myvi receives the Autocar Asean‘s Car of The Year 2005/2006 Award and in October that year, the company had produced its 100,000th Myvi. By March 2007, its market share was over 50%.

In May 2007, Perodua launched the Viva hoping that it would emulate the sales performance of the Myvi and in September that year, the Perodua Viva received the Car of the Year Autocar Asean Award 2007 in the Supermini segment.

In June 2007, the Myvi received the Best Model of the Year (Malaysia) Award at the Frost & Sullivan 2007 Asean Automotive Awards and in June 2008, the Viva received the Best Value for Money Model of the Year (Malaysia) at Frost & Sullivan Asean Automotive 2008 Awards.

Perodua cars continue to do well in Malaysia due to not only the compact size and fuel efficiency, but also the affordabilty of its cars. Those characteristics were important in making Perodua cars appealing to first-time buyers, usually comprising fresh graduates, which account for 30% to 35% of the company’s sales and those who are joining the workforce for the first time.

Apart from fresh graduates and new workers, Perodua cars were also popular as an additional car for a family as that accounts for about 40% of the company’s sales. The car is also popular as a first car among young adults.