This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on July 15, 2016.
KUALA LUMPUR: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd’s (Perodua) first sedan named Bezza will officially be launched on July 21, and will be open for booking at over 181 showrooms across the country from tomorrow onwards.
The energy-efficient vehicle (EEV), which is fully designed by Malaysians with strong support from Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd of Japan, represents the culmination of decades of technology collaboration and technology transfer with Daihatsu, said Perodua.
“It is with their guidance that we are now able to stand on our own with this groundbreaking new model and it is the sedan that fits every Malaysian’s needs,” said Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Aminar Rashid Salleh in a statement.
He said the Bezza is Perodua’s second transformation model after the Axia, and is the automotive group’s first global-ready car with the 1.3 litre (L) Advance variant packed with advanced safety features.
The Bezza is produced at Perodua’s EEV-certified plant, Perodua Global Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, which is a highly modern facility with over a 75% automation rate and which is also the same plant which produces the Perodua Axia.
“The sedan’s name takes inspiration from the word “Beza” in Bahasa Malaysia, which means “different”. And that is exactly what Perodua’s first EEV sedan is — distinctly different.
“The double ‘Z’ in the name, which somewhat resembles the number ‘22’, also subtly alludes to the fact that Perodua has been in the market for 22 years,” said Aminar.
“With features available in luxury vehicles incorporated into the Perodua Bezza plus its attractive design, smooth ride, quality at affordable pricing, increasing our export footprint will become a reality,” he added.
The sedan comes in five variants: the 1.0L manual transmission and automatic transmission; the 1.3L “Premium X” manual and automatic transmission; and the 1.3L “Advanced Version” automatic transmission.
The company said the Perodua Bezza 1.0 L engine may reach up to 22.8km per litre for its manual transmission, while the automatic transmission can potentially travel 21.3km per litre with eco driving.
“Meanwhile, the eco driving 1.3 litre’s manual transmission variant can potentially travel 21.7km per litre, while the automatic transmission can travel 22km per litre with ‘Eco Idle’ System which is available in the Advance variant only. The full tank can potentially travel up to 792km driving,” it added.