Perodua is a company that moves silently, but swiftly as well. Usually, we only know of the market leader’s impending new model launch shortly before the car is ready to roll out, with very little in the form of spyshots or leaks from Sg Choh. Even when there are mystery mules doing road testing, great care goes into masking the actual vehicle.

Contrast this with the approach taken by local rival Proton. Remember all the X70 drama before the car was launched? Also, the “Proton X50” has been hyped for some time now, and we’re nowhere near to the Geely Binyue-based SUV being launched. On the other hand, if the upcoming Perodua D55L compact SUV wasn’t shared with Daihatsu and Toyota, my guess is that we wouldn’t know about P2’s plans for such a model till the last minute.

What’s coming in 2021 then? Well, the Perodua Alza is seriously long in the tooth – in a couple of days, it will have been 10 years since the MPV was launched in Malaysia. Yup, a full decade. Should Perodua want to continue to have a presence in the budget MPV segment, a replacement is needed, and our regular collaborator Theophilus Chin has cooked one up here.


Our vision of the 2021 Perodua Alza D27A is based on the Daihatsu DN Multisix concept car that made two motor show appearances in 2017 – first at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show, and then the Tokyo Motor Show two months later. At TMS 2017, the Multisix sat alongside the DN Trec showcar, which has morphed into today’s production Daihatsu Rocky. The MPV’s turn next?

The Multisix concept was 4,310 mm long, 1,720 mm wide and 1,695 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,620 mm and a high 250 mm ground clearance. That’s larger in every way compared to the Alza’s 4,220 length, 1,695 mm width and 1,620 mm height. While the Alza started life as a Japanese Domestic Market product (Toyota Passo Sette, Daihatsu Boon Luminas), the next one is sure to be customised for Daihatsu’s overseas markets, which is us and Indonesia. Would it be a sister of the next-gen Toyota Avanza?

The sides of the concept car has been given production parts such as conventional wing mirrors, realistic two-tone alloys and regular door handles, but the character line and surfacing are intact. This Alza’s rear end is a bit more blocky than the concept car’s, and Theo has included influences from the Rocky. Our man has done something unique here by stamping the Alza name into the rear hatch. What do you think? In the real world, Perodua was recently caught testing the a Mitsubishi Xpander, a Suzuki Ertiga and a funny looking Toyota Avanza with a Genting Highlands climb.

An all-new Alza could very well share a platform with the next Avanza, as Daihatsu in Indonesia and Perodua in Malaysia are all part of the greater Toyota family. Indeed, Perodua produces certain T-badged models, and the NR engine it makes in Negeri Sembilan is supplied to Toyota as well.