Blogs

The Perodua Myvi which gets its official launch tonight is a very significant new model for Perodua. It’s not just another new model (the sixth one since Perodua started making cars over 10 years ago) nor is it because it is a new flagship. The significance of this new Perodua model lies in it being a demonstration of how far the second national carmaker has come and how well the partnership with Daihatsu has worked out.

To understand what’s so special about the Myvi, you must first understand how product development was undertaken when Perodua started. Back then, designs already completed by Daihatsu were provided and minor changes were made to give them a Perodua identity. In the industry, this is often called ‘badge engineering’, suggesting that the only ‘engineering’ done is to change the badge on the grille or bonnet. All else is the same as the original model apart from some specifications to meet local cost targets or consumer requirements.

The Kancil started off that way and Perodua was never shy to admit that it was a cosmetic job on a Daihatsu model known as the Mira. Its engineers were young and had much to learn from the Japanese and during the 1990s, they would be diligent students. Perodua had the intention to develop in-house capability but it was not overly-ambitious and took measured steps, each one bringing on more confidence and increased capability to do more.

By the late 1990s, Perodua’s R&D had enough confidence and skill to undertake a major facelift to the Kancil. Using the original design as a basis, it was given a fresh new appearance and a major change was in the dashboard which saw the relocation of the instrument panel to the middle section. The result was encouraging and boosted the confidence of the Malaysian engineers.

The restructuring of Perodua which saw Daihatsu taking a majority stake in the manufacturing operations saw the relationship changing to one where Perodua was given a more substantial role. For its next all-new model, scheduled for introduction in 2005, Perodua was invited to be an active participant in the development of the model from day one. This was a brand new model that was to be developed by Daihatsu and Toyota and Perodua would be part of the team. In the past, the two Japanese companies would have proceeded on their own and Perodua would only get the finished design with critical dimensions fixed and the only changes that could be made could be cosmetic.

This time, 80 engineers were sent to Japan to work on the new model and to provide their inputs right from the very start of the project which was in early 2002. What this meant was that the model (coded ‘D73A’) which would come to be known as the Daihatsu Boon/Toyota Passo actually has some Malaysian involvement in it as well – and that is something Malaysians should be proud of. In fact, former Perodua MD Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Omar once told the media that a concept model which Perodua had built itself in 2001 had impressed the Japanese a lot and when you look at that concept car now, you can see that there may have been some styling elements which were picked for the Myvi/Boon/Passo.

Of course, apart from working on the original design, the Malaysian team (who stayed in Japan for such a long period that they started to miss nasi lemak badly, according to a Perodua source!) also worked on customising certain areas for the Perodua version which would become the Myvi. Besides the R&D personnel, there were also Malaysian engineers from the manufacturing side who were sent to Japan to work simultaneously on the production issues related to the new model.

The collaboration between Perodua, Daihatsu and Toyota can be compared to that between Ford and Mazda when the two companies developed models such as the Laser/323, Telstar/626, Escape/Tribute and Ranger/Fighter. Such collaboration is necessary nowadays because the cost of developing an all-new model is incredibly expensive and being able to share the cost makes it possible to price the product more competitively. In the case of the Myvi, Perodua says that it spent around RM210 million, a fifth of what it would have cost if it had tried to develop the model alone.

This is just the start of a new section of the learning curve for Perodua and who knows, as its capabilities grow, it could be assigned more substantial responsibilities in new model development. It is not out of the question that sometime in the future, Perodua could even be given the task of developing models for the developing Asian markets while Daihatsu focuses on models for the more developed countries. But that’s a long way off and as some philosopher once said, every journey starts with the first step – and Perodua has taken that step.

The Passo/Boon were launched a year ago in Japan and the question that many may ask is if Perodua collaborated on the project, how come the Myvi could not be launched at that time? After all, if the argument is that it did not have to wait for the new model design to be completed before starting its own customisation, why such a big gap?

One reason given is that last year, Perodua had secured the contract to assemble the Toyota Avanza and it was felt that to also introduce a brand new model – especially one of such significance – would stretch resources too much. The other reason is that Perodua wanted to reach a new and much higher level of quality than before and by delaying its own launch, it could find out which areas of the Passo/Boon had minor issues or needed refinement and sort them out. In other words, just as the first version of a new software is often known to have bugs and wise consumers will wait till later versions when the bugs have been ironed out, the same can be said of the Myvi being a later version with less ‘bugs’,

Another thing was the aim was to have high local content (80% of parts or 976 items come from 147 suppliers in Malaysia or Asean countries) for the car so as to keep costs down. Localisation of parts needs a bit of extra time as additional testing has to be done to ensure that the parts meet the required standards – consistently. This high local content from start is also an achievement because it took almost 9 years to reach that sort of level with the Kancil.

Again, the determination to offer a Perodua product of much higher quality than ever before meant that extra time was needed; Perodua does not believe in making its customers ‘test’ components (and having to pay for the ‘privilege ‘too!) and wants to get everything as perfect as possible before the units go to the showrooms.

The result is that the Myvi is claimed to have a level of quality which is 10 times better than the first model Perodua produced. With its first model, the defect rate was 2.0 – 2.5 defects per car but with the Myvi, it is 0.2 defects per car – that’s 2 defects in every 10 cars. It’s not the best that can be achieved because in Japan, the factory doing Lexus models is down to 0.05 defects per car – 5 defects in every 100 cars! The maintenance of these levels is taken very seriously and constantly monitored. And they are said to have been achieved on units which will be delivered to customers too, not just on factory test runs.

According to Perodua MD, Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar, many strategies were used to ensure these quality targets were met. One approach taken was to recruit operators early so that they could receive more training time and get more familiar. They were constantly tested and only those who achieved certain scores would be entrusted to work on the Myvi line. Thus, by the time mass production began a couple of months ago, these operators already had quite a lot of experience and did not compromise quality by having to become familiar with making the new model.

MAKING IT FOR MALAYSIANS
In the development of the new model, the Perodua team took with it the requirements that it wanted considered and included in the design. These requirements were specific to Malaysian consumers and basically consisted of these aspects: enough cargo area for balik kampong journeys; fuel efficiency; roominess because many people will travel in one car; and adequate performance even with a full load.

Perodua was also aware that many of its owners liked the brand and their ownership experience was good but eventually, they needed a bigger car and Perodua’s popular range ended at 1.0 litres. Surveys showed that 62% of customers were moving away from the Perodua brand because they wanted to upgrade and the existing product range did not offer them any options. The Myvi is designed to be the new option for that upgrade which many Perodua customers want to make.

STYLING
The Myvi’s styling is very modern with all the cues that you see in the latest hatchbacks. The front end is short, leaving lots of room for the cabin. The appearance of the car also gives the impression of solidity with a sculptured bonnet and large eye-catching headlamps. And to emphasise the new era for Perodua, the Perodua emblem is incorporated in a distinctive chrome ornament which complements the clean lines of the grille.

Following the design trends in many of today’s new cars, LEDs are used in the rear lighting units and apart from being high-tech, they offer benefits such as longer life and quicker illumination. The original plan had been to put the LED rear lights only on the 1.3-litre versions but in the interests of economies of scale for lower costs, the 1.0-litre version also has it.

The same goes for the door mirrors which have LED signal lights on their housings. This idea began in Mercedes cars and now it has trickled down to cars like the Myvi. It’s the first national car in this segment with such a feature and it should certainly contribute to motoring safety in some way as the signal lights will be more noticeable.

Also giving the impression of a high-quality design are the door handles which are the ‘grip’ type rather than the ‘lift-up’ type which is more commonly found on low-cost models. It is quite likely that the design of the door handles will be found in some other models in the Toyota Group and so would be well proven in terms of durability and reliability.

At a glance, the Myvi 1.0 and 1.3 look pretty much the same but here are some of the clues which will differentiate the versions. The 1.3 gets alloy wheels as standard while the 1.0 has steel wheels with covers. If you look from the back, the rear bumper of the 1.3 will have reverse sensors as standard whereas the 1.0 won’t. At the front, the bumpers of both versions have the same shape but the 1.3’s has fog/driving lamps. Finally, if you see a Myvi with a rear roof spoiler, that’s the premium or ‘Istimewa’ version (1.3SXi/1.3EZi).

INTERIOR
The design brief called for comfortable seating space for five adults and with by Perodua’s own measurements, the Myvi has more space than the Proton Iswara and Wira! It’s comparable to the Honda Jazz and Hyundai Getz, both of which are more 1.5/1,6-litre models. A lot of the space came from careful positioning of the seats as well as their design. The 2440 mm wheelbase, which is 76% of the overall length of the car, also helps and almost all of this wheelbase is used by the cabin.

The hip point is a crucial point in cabin design and it determines how comfortably people sit and get in and out of a car. For the Myvi, the hip point was positioned optimally so that the seat could be at just the right height for convenient movement in and out of the cabin. This would be particularly welcome by older folks who won’t need to bend over so much.

Another clever idea is the extra-wide opening of the rear doors – up to 80 degrees. There are three ‘steps’ in the opening angle so that there is less likelihood of the door knocking into another car’s door. Perodua claims to be the first manufacturer in Malaysia to offer such a door design in this class.

Naturally, being a hatchback, the Myvi has flexible seating options. The divided rear row of seats can be folded (individually or together) to extend the cargo area from 600 mm to 1320 mm. Another innovation is the availability of a long cushion (sold as an accessory) which covers the gap between the rear seats and the backs of the front seats. This means that the rear seating area is a large flat space which can be used by small children for resting or even for having their diapers changed. Perodua, however, cautions that parents should use such an accessory with thought for motoring safety and be aware that it is always better to have all occupants in the rear fastened with seatbelts.

Although the Kancil 2 had a dashboard with a centrally-mounted instrument panel, the Myvi reverts to a conventional location ahead of the steering wheel. The instrument panel is the Optitron type which was originally developed for use in Lexus models. It makes use of LEDs for brighter, clearly viewing in all conditions (if too bright, the illumination can be adjusted). The meter lights up when the key is turned, ‘welcoming’ the driver. On the premium 1.3-litre Myvi, the meters have an white colour but for the standard 1.3-litre Myvi and 1.0-litre Myvi, it is amber. This has something to do with cost as white LEDs cost more. However, for some people, white may seem like the ‘cheaper’ image whereas a coloured meter appears more classy and more expensive.

In laying out the instrument panel, the aim was to keep presentation of information simple for quick understanding. Thus there are no complicated gadgets or switches to operate and warning lights are positioned where they will catch the driver’s attention when they come on. Audible reminders are provided for the seatbelt (driver’s only), when the doors are not close properly or when the lights are left on after the key is removed.

Over on the centre console, the audio and air-conditioning controls are highlighted with a silver trim panel. The audio system which includes a CD-player is integrated into the dashboard for neatness and all buttons are oversized for easier operation. This is better than the tiny switches which are found in after-market head units that require concentration by the driver to operate. The same goes for the air-conditioner controls which are large rotary switches.

In terms of convenience features, the Myvi is very well equipped and certainly good value for money. Power windows are on all four doors and there’s also central locking as standard. Except for the Myvi 1.0, all the other versions have electric adjustment for the door mirrors. There is also a different steering wheel design for the premium version.

POWERPLANTS
While it’s not unusual for a model to have a few different engine sizes, what is rather special for the Myvi is that its two engines come from entirely different families. The smaller engine is a 3-cylinder unit whereas the bigger one is a 4-cylinder unit, meaning mounting points are different. However, a Perodua engineer said that this was planned right from the start and such a variation is properly engineered for.

The smaller engine is the 989 cc EJ-VE engine which is a variant of the one found in the Kelisa/Kenari (EJ-DE). However, as the EJ-VE, it has the Dynamic Variable Valve Timing (DVVT) mechanism which allows for constant alteration of the intake valve timing to suit driving conditions and demands, extending the powerband, improving low-end torque, increasing fuel economy and also lowering toxic exhausts emissions. This engine has actually been used in the Kelisa exported to UK to meet the tougher emission control standards there and now it is being offered in the Myvi because Perodua expects Malaysian emission control standards to be upgraded in the near future. Therefore rather than wait till that time to upgrade the engine, they might as well start now – and do the environment a good deed too.

CHASSIS
In this segment of cars, the chassis is often a fairly simple design with a suspension that has to be durable but not costly. Thus the front suspension has those universal MacPherson struts with lower L-arms (on the Myvi 1,3, a stabilizer bar is fitted) while the rear suspension uses a torsion beam with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. The torsion beam, though not giving independent suspension, does have some merits too such as reduced intrusion into the cargo floor and also maintaining the rear track more rigidly during hard cornering. 14-inch wheels are used for all versions (steel for the Myvi 1.0) and there is also a single tyre size, ie 175/65R14.

For brakes, there’s a disc/drum combination and on the premium version, ABS is included. This is a very useful feature, especially in our climate where thunderstorms are common and make driving conditions slippery. ABS does not allow you to drive faster in corners or on wet roads but it does let you steer away from obstacles while braking hard because the system prevents skidding due to wheel lock-up.