Perodua announced the start of order taking for the all-new Axia D74A, which will be available in four variants. The range starts with the G that is estimated to retail for RM 38,600 on-the-road without insurance. This is followed by the X at RM 40,000, the SE at RM 44,000 and the range-topping AV at RM 49,500. All variants are powered by a 1.0 litre engine paired with a D-CVT, the latter replacing the previous four-speed automatic.

The 2023 Axia will be powered by an “EEV engine with D-CVT.” That’s all that the official flyer mentions when it comes to the powertrain, and while there’s no explicit mention of the engine being naturally-aspirated, there’s no mention of turbo either, and such a big development would definitely merit a shout. We understand that the 1KR-VE 1.0L three-cylinder VVT-i engine with 67 hp/91 Nm has been carried over. The big change is in the gearbox. Gone is the four-speed torque converter auto, and in comes the D-CVT gearbox that was first seen in the Ativa in March 2021, before the Myvi facelift made the 4AT to CVT switch later the same year.

Compared to the outgoing Axia that also had a 1.0 litre engine (a naturally-aspirated three-cylinder) and 4AT, the D74A is noticeably pricier. For context, the previous model after the 2019 update was offered in six variants, namely the “driving school-spec” 1.0 E MT (RM 24,090), the 1.0 G AT (RM 33,490), the 1.0 GXtra AT (RM 34,990), the SUV-inspired 1.0 Style AT (RM 38,890), the 1.0 SE AT (RM38,890) and the top-spec AV (RM 43,190). According to Perodua president and CEO Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad, the increase in the new Axia’s price is because of the larger vehicle size as well as the inclusion of more advanced features compared to its predecessor.

Based on what we know so far, the Axia D74A is certainly a lot more advanced than before, with the AV coming standard with six airbags, a seven-inch TFT multi-info display, a nine-inch Display Audio head unit, LED headlamps and DRLs as well as Perodua Smart Drive Assist (PSDA) that includes ASA. These upmarket features, along with the larger vehicle size as mentioned, are why the AV has gone up RM 6,310 (referring to the estimated price provided).

It should also be said that while the starting price (RM 24k to RM 39k) of the Axia sees a huge jump, that’s only because the manual version has been dropped for the new launch. If comparing the G, or more accurately the old GXtra, the increase is relatively less substantial at RM 3,610. Only the GXtra onwards came with Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and traction control, but the new Axia will have VSC, traction control and hill start assist as standard across the range.