Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Perodua Alza MPV launches with Unexpected Customer

Impression: The new Perodua Alza.

The long-awaited multi-purpose vehicle Perodua was launched 10 days after the company opened the backlog of customers and the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has given Alza her thumbs up are 3,500 clients placed their trust in her, without seeing them .

The automaker has used Rawang attention of traditional and new media interest and curiosity in their bid to generate the highest. A photo wisely leak here, a piece of interesting information there and buying Malaysian public is beaten into a frenzy.

After almost one year of waiting, the final five plus two his debut and the first reaction of those present made the launch, it looks like Perodua has its finger on the head.

Perodua managing director Datuk Syed Abdul Hafiz Abu Bakar said the first reaction of Alza's better than expected.

"The book Perodua Myvi is open 40 days before launch and collected 4,000 pre-launch bookings, but the Alza has attracted almost as much interest within 10 days," he said.

Price with a premium, Alza make sales to customers who want a versatile and elegant. Unconventional Perodua would Alza urban singles who want a vehicle that can transport their friends on outings and young families with two or fewer children.

"That's why we say that Alza is" For a moment, following the MPV, the product is intended for those who need the versatility, but are probably not the third row of seats using a piece of "Syed Hafiz said.

Perodua said their market research shows that buyers in their target segment is likely to use the third row of seats by 10 percent of the time or less, but they want more versatility and style at an affordable price.

According to Syed Hafiz, 70 percent of the pre-launch orders for the automatic version, while 80 percent of bookings to high-end variant. The manual and automatic version comes with the core or premium trim level.

He said the company Alza stock in 1500 and added that as a customer to book MPV today, they tend to receive their vehicles in January.

Perodua Alza's initial production capacity of about 2,000 units per month, but is expected to increase to between 3,500 and 4,000 units, according to the monthly company sales forecast.

A banker is satisfied at the launch of the experiment said the actual number of interested customers, who put a booking fee instead of the full payment is generally three times higher than the actual size disadvantage.

"Their salespeople on the ground were probably another 10,000 entries that are not converted to the minimum deposit," he said.

De Alza is an important tool for Perodua for it is the first product to customers as a first car and it also allows existing customers to upgrade to another product in the range of the company. This new found ability to retain customers an upgrade will allow the company to a bigger piece of the Malaysian automotive industry to cut.

Price for Alza Perodua begins RMRM54, 000 for the manual version of the basic solid color tops and at RM64, 000 for the premium version with automatic metallic paint ....

Perodua Target Business 4,000 Alza During Launching

Perusahaan Otomobil Sdn Bhd Kedua (Perodua) to the control of the local car market increased to 33.3 percent

Year follow-up to the introduction of multi-purpose vehicles (MPV) at first Alza.

Director Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar said the company is 4,000 units per month Alza convinced that could MPV sales increase, because it is designed to facilitate the transportation needs of families with a dynamic design and sell modern and much more from a competitive price.

He said in the first 10 months of this year's market share rose from 31.1 percent of Kia and the company at the right platform to achieve the sales target 164,000 units this year.
"In relation to sales of 176,000 units of the target car in the next year, Kia is confident the goal is to increase market share were achieved at 33.3 percent and by Alza, Myvi and Viva, which is also available, supporting good demand," he said reporters at a press conference after the launch of Perodua Alza Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Start running the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Kia is president, Tan Sri Asmat Kamaluddin, chairman Daihatsu Motor Ltd. Teruyuki Minoura and CEO of Perodua Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Osamu Oakie.

Alza is from the Spanish word for "increase" is derived is available in six colors, including a new color purple (Purple Chic). Other color is black (Ebony Black), White (Ivory White), Pearl White (Pearl White), gray (gray inset) and money (gold glitter).
Perodua MPV to offer first in four variants, namely, offered the standard version with manual and automatic transmissions and a premium version with manual and automatic transmissions at a price above the road between RM56, RM64 000-000 per unit.

Kia offers a deluxe version with Alza gears manually and automatically start in March next year at a price above the road between RM67, 000 and RM70, 000 per unit.

Alza, including equipped with safety features, including the air brake system (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA) for selected variants.

It also provides a direction for change Audio premium and luxury versions, the foot pegs and shift lever in the control panel for automatic variants and feet in the middle of the dashboard the first national MPV.

Perodua Alza 1.5L Manual Test Drive Review

The Perodua Alza is surely one of the most anticipated cars of recent times. In fact, this blog has been spreading the news of the Perodua MPV since early 2008, and we’ve been teased by numerous spy shots and revelations ever since. Well, it’s finally here now and we’ve got a chance to drive it over a weekend, covering 385km over a variety of roads.

Read the rest of the report after the jump.

The model we tested

The Alza we sampled is an SXi, which means it’s the Premium spec manual transmission variant priced at RM60,990 (OTR including insurance). Extra equipment over the Standard models include ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, dual airbags, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, leather wrapped steering with audio controls, driver seat height adjuster, fog lamps, rear spoiler, higher grade seat fabric and silver/chrome trim in the cabin. That’s quite a lot of added kit for an extra RM5,000 – well worth it in our opinion.


Here’s a brief recap of how Perodua’s MPV stands on paper to its immediate rivals. The Alza sits on an elongated Myvi platform and its 2750mm wheelbase compares well with the Toyota Avanza (2655mm), Nissan Grand Livina (2600mm) and Proton Exora (2730mm) even though it’s the second shortest here after the Avanza. The Alza’s footprint is actually much smaller than the Exora’s – the long wheelbase is derived by pushing the rear wheels right to the car’s edges.

Under the bonnet is a cast iron block 3SZ-VE 1.5-litre engine, as used in the Avanza 1.5 and Rush, although it’s mounted longitudinally in the rear-drive Toyotas and transversely in the FWD Alza. Perodua quotes 103bhp (104PS) and 136Nm of torque, which is slightly lower than the Avanza’s 108bhp/141Nm – perhaps a slightly different state of tune. Transmission options are a four-speed auto and our tester’s five-speed manual.

Using wheelbase length as a measure of spaciousness is more applicable in a passenger car than an MPV because rear overhangs contribute to an MPV’s interior length, so we shouldn’t read much into the Alza’s class leading wheelbase. The Alza feels much smaller than the Exora inside, and should be about the size of a Grand Livina, but with a much higher roofline than the Nissan which contributes to an airy and open feel. Stepping into the Alza is very easy, as doors open wide (typically Perodua) and the ride height is just perfect – no need to “climb” into the car.

Access to the third row is trickier. The Alza lacks a tumble fold system for the second row, which means you’ll need to fold down the seat backs (it doesn’t go fully flat) and pull the base – a two-step operation that’s less convenient than the Exora’s two-way, one-touch lever. Once that’s done, the opening is small and those who are less nimble might have difficulty entering.

Once inside, the high roof gives adequate headroom but legroom fully depends on the kindness of other occupants – it can range from zero (if the second row is pushed fully back) to decent for mid-sized adults if a compromise between second and third row members can be made. Anyhow, the seat base is not much higher than the floor so your knees will point high, but this is not uncommon in a seven seater. There’s also very little space for luggage with all seats up. I also wished that the non-split rear seats can be folded flat with just one operation – at present you’ll need to pull two straps (one on each side) to tumble it.

“Is the air-con strong enough?” is a common concern among Malaysian carbuyers and we’re happy to report that despite not having a separate blower and vents for the rear section, the Alza’s air con provides a strong enough breeze to reach rear occupants. The system also cools very fast. There are also plenty of cupholders – 12 in our car!

From the driver’s seat, the driving position, ergonomics and visbility are all pleasant. For me, the highlight of the dashboard is the integrated stereo system, which is full featured, easy to use with big buttons and looks premium with tight fit buttons flush with the surface. In contrast, the Vios derived “bottle cap” style A/C controls look cheap, and without the auto gear lever sharing this space, the area looks rather empty, as if something is missing.

The centre mounted instrument pack is OK for clarity, but the trip computer didn’t have much info other than Range. The manual variant also lacks the driver seat extension and fold down arm rest since the gear lever and hand brake are in their traditional location – between the seats. What it gets over the auto are a couple more cubbies and cupholders.

On the move, the Alza is a very easy and undemanding car to drive – the steering is light, turning circle is tight and clutch is similarly effortless. But the clutch pedal does not seem to have any biting point – it’s either up or down – and those without the habit of resting their foot on the clutch might crave for a foot rest – at present, the pedal is so near the centre console that Perodua wouldn’t have been able to fit one anyway.

The Alza’s gearchange could also be better. The shallow gates and imprecise rubbery feel means that there’s little satisfaction to be had swapping gears; the process feels quite crude and van-like actually.

Many have doubts whether a 1.5-litre is sufficient for an MPV and this is where the Alza surprised us and our passengers. Acceleration is lively, whether from rest or in gear, and there’s enough low down torque to merge with faster flowing traffic without venturing high up the rev range. You do hear and feel the engine buzz, as you would in other Peroduas, but it’s never annoying.
The Alza rides and handles capably as well. There’s not much body roll to speak of, and the ride comfort is relatively good – it doesn’t buck and bounce around like the Avanza or react so sharply to small bumps and ridges like the Grand Livina so it’s a good effort from Perodua. The 185-section Silverstone tyres aren’t exactly high on grip (ours were barely scrubbed in) but other than a steering that I feel should be tighter in high speeds, there’s very little to complain about. What the Exora does better is isolating the engine from the cabin, general refinement and car-driver communication.

On the matter of fuel consumption, I did 385km in the Alza with the trip computer showing a range of 150km (two bars of petrol) when I returned the car. The Alza’s full tank capacity is 42 litres and I added 10 litres to it, so the rough calculation points to 10.3 km/l, which is pretty decent considering the Genting detour. Perodua’s claim is 15.5 km/l for the manual, but keep in mind that it’s almost never possible to hit official figures.

As an MPV, it’s far from perfect. But to its credit, Perodua doesn’t call the Alza a full-sized MPV, preferring the “5+2″ occasional seven seater status. And if viewed as a bigger Myvi with much better legroom, a huge boot and two “emergency seats” the Alza becomes a brilliant proposition. We can see how popular the Myvi is with Malaysians, and if given more of the same with the abovementioned benefits at a small premium, there’s no reason why the Alza won’t be a runaway success. As a bonus, the Alza has adequate performance and is entirely decent to drive.