Paultan's reader Mike Maximiliano caught two units of the
rather amusingly named Daihatsu Thor in Melaka, wearing Selangor trade plates.
Given the brand in question, these can only be the property of Perodua, and we
can glean quite a bit about what the national carmaker is up to.
The Thor is available in Japan with a 1KR-VET 1.0 litre turbocharged
three-cylinder petrol engine, making 98 PS and 140 Nm of torque and mated to a
CVT. If that sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s the exact same engine
and transmission combination that is found on the new Daihatsu Rocky, which we
know is going to form the basis for the upcoming D55L SUV.
This
suggests that Perodua is testing the powertrain package for its own application
– a suspicion that only grows stronger when you note the oil cooler wedged into
the front bumper. All
this is a sign that the company is serious about introducing the high-tech
powertrain over here in the D55L, though it’s not exactly a shoo-in. Two other
options are possible – Perodua could either use the Myvi‘s 2NR-FE 1.5 litre
naturally-aspirated Dual VVT-i mill (paired with a four-speed automatic), or
introduce the hybrid technology that it previewed at the Kuala Lumpur
International Motor Show (KLIMS) last year.
Either
way, the D55L will likely share much of its mechanicals – including the
Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) – with the Rocky, as well as most of
the body panels and interior. There will obviously be a few design tweaks here
and there to differentiate it, much like those on the Aruz that distance it
from its Daihatsu Terios and Toyota Rush siblings.
