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?
There’s not much to work on here, so Theo
layered on some trends and cues from existing products. The Multisix front has
been “productionised” with more realistic lighting, and given a grille from the
Aruz. There’s a strong “X” theme to the face, which is what we can expect from
future Peroduas, according to P2 chief designer Muhamad Zamuren.
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.
It’s pretty much the same in Indonesia,
where Astra Daihatsu Motor (ADM) takes the development lead in joint
Daihatsu-Toyota models (Ayla-Agya, Sigra-Calya and Terios-Rush) and manufactures
the budget Toyotas as well. A new Alza going the shared underpinnings
with ADM route also follows the trend where Perodua no longer bases its core
models on JDM cars, but shares underpinnings with its Indonesian counterpart
while developing an in-house top hat upper body design plus interior. The
current Myvi is the best example of P2’s R&D capabilities – the hatchback
is unique to Malaysia and isn’t a restyled Daihatsu. We could be looking at
more integration, and the next Alza could be a mainstream Low MPV contender
instead of a JDM oddity. We’ll see.
