RAWANG, 4 May 2009: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is preparing to phase out its first and oldest model, Kancil, next month after 16 years on the road.
Its Managing Director, Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, said Perodua would stop production of the popular 660cc Kancil and would replace it with the Viva.
“Right now we are in the final month of the production of the Kancil. After 16 years (and) after 750,000 Kancils on the road, we are ready to phase it out.”
“We would probably launch the Viva 660 basic to replace the Kancil around July,” he told Bernama in an interview recently at the manufacturing plant here.
The Kancil was the first model manufactured by Perodua, introduced shortly after the company’s incorporation in 1994.
The first batch of Kancils was launched on 29 Aug 1994, with a manufacturing capacity of 45,000 units per annum.
“For April this year, almost 1,000 units of the Kancil have been registered and we are now down to the final 1,000 to be sold in May or early June the latest”, he said.
Since its maiden launch, the Kancil has been through several processes of modifications, upgrades and facelifts.
As for the basic Viva, he said the price would be cheaper compared to the current Viva.
Perodua expects to sell a RM25,000 entry level car. Currently, he said the cheapest Viva is about RM28,000.
“We are doing all these to prepare for our big launch in November of our multi-purpose vehicle. Our mass production will start sometime end-September. So we do this in preparing for this new line for the MPV,” Syed Abdull said.
The new Perodua MPV is internally codenamed Perodua D46T and is expected to be priced between RM60,000 and RM65,000, he said.
The new Perodua D46T will be based on the Toyota Passo Sette, also known as the Daihatsu Boon Luminas.
It measures 4,180mm long, 1,695mm wide and is 1,620mm tall, with a long 2,750mm wheelbase to maximise the interior space (2,550mm long). — Bernama
