Perodua to build new plant

KUALA LUMPUR: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) will expand its annual production capacity to 300,000 vehicles with a new RM790mil plant, which will be adjacent to its 19-year-old manufacturing facility in Rawang.

Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said the new plant will have more automation, improved systems and new technology.

"This new plant is part of our five-year strategic roadmap to stay competitive in the ever liberalising automotive industry by helping us to be more productive and efficient, as well as reduce cost," said Aminar.

The new plant will have an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles on a single shift cycle, compared with the existing plant's annual capacity of 200,000 units on a two-shift cycle.

Aminar says the new plant will improve Perodua's competitiveness 

and efficiency.

The plant will be set up under a new company, and mass production is slated to begin in mid-2014.

Aminar also said the new plant was essential as Perodua is aiming to compete at a global level.

"There is increasing competition also in the domestic market. We also want to at least maintain our dominant 28% to 30% domestic market share."

The expanded production capacity would also cater to the domestic market, which is projected to hit a Total Industry Volume (TIV) of one million units by 2020 according to the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI).

In 2011, the TIV was 600,123 units according to data from the Malaysian Automotive Association.

Perodua is also aiming to increase its exports to 20,000 units per year by 2015, from the 10,000 units exported this year to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mauritius, Brunei, Singapore and Fiji.

Aminar also said Perodua had recorded sales of 170,000 units as of end-November, and was on track to achieve its target sales of 188,000 units this year.

Meanwhile, in a press statement, Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd said the new Perodua plant would produce fuel-efficient and affordable compact cars.

Daihatsu Motor holds a 20% stake in Perodua.

"In anticipation of intensifying global competition in the future, Daihatsu is working on structural transformation of local operations in Malaysia, which it has determined to be a key base for its overseas business."

Perodua and Daihatsu's announcements today came in the wake of news that their rival Proton is collaborating with Honda and has bought Petronas engines to use in future models.

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Perodua showroom with a difference

RAWANG: Business is war and Perodua underscored that point in its latest showroom that opened in Bukit Beruntung, Selangor.

The outlet, 10km from its headquarters and plant here, not only sells cars but is a training hub for its sales force before they are posted to their respective showrooms nationwide.

“This showroom will serve as a living-breathing training centre for our staff on the best customer service practices for us to shine in the eyes of our customers,” said Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh at the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

The showroom in Bukit Beruntung.

Perodua has invested RM560,000 into setting up the 6,660 sq ft centre, also known as a "Sales Dojo" (a Japanese word that means a martial arts training centre).

This brings the total number of Perodua sales outlets to 185, and service centres at 169.

To mark the occasion, Perodua presented donations to five charity homes.

The homes were Ephrata Charity Organisation, Sri Saradha Devi Illam, Pusat Jagaan Kanak-kanak Kurang Upaya KIRTARSH, Sivananda Ashram Kuala Kubu Bharu and Independent Living & Training.

Perodua newest showroom is located at PSSB Bukit Beruntung,  No 29-G, 31-G, 31-1, Jalan Adenium 2G/12, Pusat Perniagaan Adenium Sek BB5, 48300 Bukit Beruntung.

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Perodua 9-month sales up 10%

Rawang, 17 Oct: Perodua sales for the first 9 months of the year increased 10% to 139,400 vehicles compared with 127,200 units in the same period last year due to healthy sales of the New Myvi and an increase in demand for the Alza.

On a quarter-to-quarter basis, Perodua sold 46,500 vehicles, down 3% from 47,700 units in the same period as the tighter guidelines on Responsible Lending impacted the sales of the Viva models during the period.

“We believe that there is still an upside for our sales in the fourth quarter as the demand for our vehicles is still healthy with bookings recorded in 3Q12 reaching 61,800 units against a registration of 46,500 units in the same period,” Perodua Managing Director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said.

He added that baring no unforeseen circumstances, and based on the number of bookings Perodua received so far; the national carmaker is cautiously positive in achieving its 188,000 sales target by year end.

“Based on the forecasted total industry volume by the Malaysian Automotive Association of 615,000, we expect to maintain our 30% market share by year end,” Aminar said.

On a month-on-month comparison, Perodua sold 13,900 vehicles in September from 13,200 vehicles in the same month last year as the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations shorten the number of working days in September 2011.

“Moving forward, Perodua will aggressively engage in traditional marketing campaigns and will introduce new packages specifically targeted to key demographics in order to further enhance sales,” Aminar said.

“One such campaign is the recently launched “What’s Up, Graduates!” campaign specifically designed to attract those who recently graduated and undergraduates to purchase our vehicles,” he added.

On exports, Perodua exports jumped 53% to some 7,800 units for the first 9 months of the year from some 5,000 units in the same period last year.

“Indonesia, which Perodua export under the Daihatsu brand is our biggest export market with 4,600 units sold, representing nearly 59% of our total exports,” Aminar said.

On after sales, Perodua saw 1.34 million vehicles patron its service centres nationwide for the first 9 months of the year; up 5% from 1.27 million in the same period last year.

“This means that 53% of the total number of Perodua vehicles still in operation has returned to our service centres for their motoring needs.”

“We will strive to further improve our service levels – in both sales and after sales – in order to give our customers the best motoring experience because here at Perodua You Matter Most!” Aminar said.

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Siswa kini boleh beli kereta

KUANTAN: Pelajar tahun akhir institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) awam dan swasta berpeluang membeli kereta PERODUA dengan bayaran serendah RM299 sebulan.

Tawaran itu diberikan Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (PERODUA) yang juga pengeluar kereta nasional kedua, menerusi program pemilikan kereta terbarunya iaitu ‘What's Up Graduates’.
Pengarah Urusannya, Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh, berkata program itu adalah inisiatif PERODUA untuk memberi peluang kepada kumpulan pelajar tahun akhir memiliki kenderaan sendiri tanpa bayaran pendahuluan.

Katanya, tawaran itu terbuka untuk semua model PERODUA Viva dan MyVi yang bermula semalam dan akan berakhir 31 Mac 2013.

Tunjuk kad pelajar

Beliau berkata, pelajar hanya perlu menunjukkan kad pelajar dan membawa seorang penjamin bagi memohon tawaran berkenaan ketika melaksanakan urusan jual beli kenderaan di semua cawangan PERODUA.
“Program ini ditawarkan kepada pelajar tahun akhir hanya untuk tempoh bayaran bulanan bagi tahun pertama saja, sebab mereka ini bakal memasuki alam pekerjaan sementara gaji pula masih kecil.

“Selepas tahun pertama, bayaran bagi tempoh seterusnya akan beransur-ansur meningkat dari tahun ke tahun sehinggalah habis tempoh pinjaman, sejajar dengan kenaikan gaji mereka,” katanya ketika berucap pada majlis perasmian Expoconvo 2012 Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Gambang, dekat sini, semalam.

Turut hadir Timbalan Naib Canselor (Penyelidikan dan Inovasi) UMP, Prof Datuk Dr Rosli Mohd Yunus dan Timbalan Naib Canselor (Akademik dan Antarabangsa), Prof Dr Badrulhisham Abdul Aziz.

Perlindungan insurans kemalangan

Selain pembelian kereta, Aminar Rashid berkata, kumpulan pelajar itu juga akan menerima perlindungan insurans kemalangan bernilai RM20,000 secara percuma, di samping diskaun 50 peratus bagi servis asas di semua pusat servis PERODUA di seluruh negara.

Dalam pada itu, Aminar Rashid yang juga Ahli Lembaga Pengarah UMP berkata, penganjuran program Expoconvo itu penting untuk mempromosikan pesta konvokesyen yang menjadi acara tahunan universiti berkenaan.

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Budget boosting auto industry indirectly, says Perodua

KUALA LUMPUR: Perodua expects the automotive industry in general to receive an indirect boost from Budget 2013 which generally increases disposable income through tax cuts and other goodies provided.

Among the notable proposals is the RM1.9 billion allocated for affordable housing, the 1.5-month bonus to civil servants and the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia or BR1M 2.0 scheme, which is now extended to singles aged 21 years old and earning less than RM2,000 a month, said its managing director, Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh.

Aminar Rashid

These initiatives will help ease the burden of a large portion of the population as it addresses two major themes, namely housing and disposable income, he added.

He said the reduction in the individual tax rate by one aggregate point and the continuation of the RM100 to each school-going child will also help in easing the burden of the general population.

Aminar Rashid said an allocation of RM1 billion for the SME Development Fund is most welcome as a majority of Perodua's vendors are under the small and medium enterprises category.

He said the fund will help them invest in new technology, find foreign partners for joint ventures, invest in human capital and upgrade equipment in preparation for market liberalisation as well as becoming globally competitive.

"This is in line with the government's intention to make Malaysia an auto production/manufacturing hub," he added.

He also reacted positively to the RM5.8 billion allocated for tourism.

"We believe this will help spur the transportation sector, including the auto industry to further support the success of tourism in Malaysia," he said.

He said Perudua also supports the direction to improve further on vocational and technical training.

"Perodua would like to work with the relevant Ministries to increase the intake of our current CSR programme, the Perodua Youth Training Programme, along the same objective to train and produce skilled and semi-skilled workers for the auto industry," Aminar Rashid said.

He added that this will help reduce the dependency on foreign workers, especially for the auto vendor community.
 -Bernama

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Attract Japanese vendors, Perodua urges Govt

Aminar Rashid

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government has been urged to offer incentives that are as good or better than neighbouring countries' to attract Japanese vendors in the car sector to set up facilities in Malaysia.

"Let us not miss the boat. Offer incentives that are good or better than neighbouring countries', and if possible encourage tie-ups with local vendors that could meet their requirements," said Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh at a luncheon with senior writers and editors here on Tuesday.

Aminar Rashid said many Japanese vendors were trying to relocate their businesses as it was now more difficult to do business in Japan because of natural disasters such as earthquakes and the strengthening of the yen.

"They see opportunities in Asean, with Thailand, the 'Detroit of Asia', still the darling for the automotive sector and Indonesia is also fast catching up," he said in a Bernama report.

He said Perodua would offer better facilities at its headquarters and plant in Sungai Choh, Rawang, to attract and retain staff and also to improve productivity and efficiency.

One of the facilities Perodua aims to provide is affordable homes for at least half of its employees.

It said it is looking to tie up with a property developer to develop the houses

Aminar Rashid said the company employed around 7,000 people in Rawang.

“Around 45% to 50% of the people working at our headquarters and plant in Rawang already have their own homes.

“We want to help cater to the remaining 50% of our employees in light of the rising cost of living,” he said.

Asked if Perodua plans to build low-cost houses, Aminar said: “I won't say low-cost, but they will be affordable. We want to build the houses as close to our plant as possible."

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A Myvi transformed

KUALA LUMPUR: Nasir Zulkifli, 39, has a Myvi. But it's not just any Myvi.

This is one Perodua you won't find rolling out of the factory floor.

It has hydraulic suspension to lower or raise the car; scissor doors and chromed engine.  And all the bling-bling in the cabin to make its owner proud.

Nasir with his Myvi showcar.

You see, the black Myvi is rather special. It's a showcar that uses a Myvi as a base and has been modified to the max.

Nasir said he took a year to bring the Myvi to showcar specs and has already spent RM50,000 on the mods.

Looking at the amount of money spent, his wife disapproves of it, of course, but Nasir rationalised that he was spending only disposable cash that he has earned to indulge in his passion.

So that's that!

The most expensive part of the car is the hydraulic system fitted on both axles that cost RM9,000 to install.

But to Nasir, a property negotiator, all the changes have been money well spent, as the Myvi has won a number of local showcar contests.

Although the car didn't win at the Auto Salon Night held at the just ended Star Motor Carnival, Nasir is not disheartened.

The trophies the car has garnered so far is a reminder to him that the Myvi may still have its day in the sun another day. click

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Perodua pushes for end-of-life for motor vehicle policy

KUALA LUMPUR: Perodua, Malaysia's leading compact car maker, says there is a need to introduce the end-of-life vehicle policy to address vehicle safety and roadworthiness issues.

Managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh urged the Government to consider the policy.

“During recent discussions with the Government, the automotive industry proposed that the policy should be implemented voluntarily before making it compulsory,” he told reporters when asked on Perodua's wish list for Budget 2013 at the company's Aidilfitri open house yesterday.

Aminar also hoped the Government would come up with certain standards and provide training to vehicle mechanics who cannot offer quality service.

Workshop operators must ensure that their employees at least have a certificate in car repair and maintenance work to provide quality service to customers and at the same time protect their sovereign rights, he said.

The Government should also introduce laws and regulations on how to run used-car and vehicle licence business for consumers' benefit. - Bernama

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Perodua open to greater ties with Proton

RAWANG: Perodua is ready to discuss with DRB-Hicom Bhd strategic collaborations with Proton Holdings Bhd.

Managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said Perodua was waiting for DRB-Hicom's move.

"Both parties will meet to identify collaborative areas after DRB-Hicom has made a decision," he told reporters at the launch of Perodua's road safety campaign here yesterday.

He said the discussion was still at early stage and no formal meeting has been made to date.

"We have to respect DRB-Hicom's decision on this matter and I would like to say from our side, we are ready to discuss with them," he said.

On whether Perodua would be involved in DRB-Hicom's future plans with Proton, Aminar said it depended on whether the plan was suitable for Perodua.

Aminar Rashid said Perodua would offer free 22-point inspection for all Perodua vehicles under the campaign, which was launched at the Sungai Buloh Overhead Bridge Rest and Service Area.
 -Bernama

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Perodua maintains 188k sales target, unveils New Alza Advanced Version

KUALA LUMPUR: Perodua is maintaining its 188,000 sales target this year despite the challenging industry environment and has unveiled its New Alza Advanced Version as part of its product line-up to excite the market.

For the first 6 months of 2012 Perodua has sold some 93,000 units up 17% from nearly 80,000 units sold in the same period last year. This represents 31% of the estimated 303,100 total industry volume for 1H12.

“However, sales numbers from 2011 are not a true comparison as the entire automotive industry was impacted by the lack of parts from Japan due to the disasters that hit the island nation in March last year,” Perodua Managing Director, Datuk Aminar Rashid said at a media conference here.

“When compared with 95,000 units sold in 1H10– which we benchmark ourselves against - our sales are down by 2%, mainly due to the New Guidelines of Responsible Lending introduced by Bank Negara Malaysia in January this year,” he added.

On a quarter-to-quarter comparison, sales have increased by 42.6% to 48,200 units in 2Q12 against 33,800 units in 2Q11.When compared with the 2Q10, sales increase slightly by 2.1% from 47,200 units.

For the month of June, sales jumped a whopping 84.3% to 16,400 units from 8,900 units in the same month last year as vehicle stocks in June 2011 were badly depleted due to the parts shortage from Japan.

When compared with June 2010, sales only rose marginally by 0.6% from 16,300 units as Perodua works to address the impact of the New Guidelines.

“That being said, we are confident that we are able meet our sales target of 188,000 units this year,” he said.

For after sales, Aminar said Perodua’s service intake for the first 6 months of the year has risen 2% to 896,000 vehicles from 876,000 vehicles in the same period of 2011. The improvement in service intake has also increase Perodua’s service market share to 53% from 51% last year.

“This means that 53% of the 1.3 million Perodua vehicles that are currently on the roads are coming back to us to be serviced,” Aminar said.

Parts and accessories sales have jumped 15% to RM112.6 million for the first 6 months of the year from 97.6 million in the same period last year.

On the New Guidelines issue, Aminar said that Perodua has already taken pro-active measures to minimise the impact, which include educating its customers on the new guidelines and assisting them to get the proper documentation for their loans to be appraised speedily.

Perodua is also constantly communicating with the finance companies to come up with a standard documentation process to minimise the loan processing time.

He said that since the New Guidelines were introduced, the number of rejection increase to 27% in January 2012 compared with only 20% in December 2011. However, the rejection rate for June has eased to 24%.

“In this regard, I would like to thank the financial institution for their cooperation and I hope they continue to extend their cooperation for the benefit of the entire automotive eco-system,” Aminar said.

He said that as part of Perodua’s moving forward strategy, the national car maker will replace its Alza Advanced Version with the New Alza Advanced Version to further excite the market.

This latest version comes with a built-in touch screen multimedia system – which includes navigation; reverse camera; a new leather seat cover design with embroidery; PVC coil mat and an “Advanced Version” grade mark.

The New Alza Advanced variant’s multimedia system also comes with new applications such as the “Yellow Pages”; whereby users will be guided to the location of any company registered with the listing service provider.

Another notable feature in the New Alza Advanced Version is the TM WIFI Hotspot locator, which can enable customers to locate the nearest TM WIFI Hotspot as a value added proposition for the customer.

The New Alza Advanced Version variant comes in Automatic Transmission and in 3 colours – Mystical Purple, Ebony Black and Ivory White.

“We are proud to say that the on-the-road price for the New Alza Advanced Version is the same with its predecessor – which is RM69,503.50 for solid and RM70,003.50 for Metallic,” Aminar said.

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Perodua updates Alza Advanced Version

KUALA LUMPUR: Perodua's Alza Advanced Version has been updated with new features such as built-in touchscreen multimedia player, new leather seats with embroidery. PVC coil mats and “Advanced Version” badging.

In addition to providing reverse camera view and satellite navigation, the multimedia system also features new applications such as TM wifi hotspot locater and “Yellow Pages” search where users can set navigation to the location of companies by keying in their telephone numbers.

Available with four-speed automatic transmission in three colour of Mystical Purple, Ebony Black and Ivory White, the on-the-road price of the new variant remains unchanged at RM69,503 for solid colour and RM70,003 for metallic paintwork.

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Myvi 1.5 launched

KUALA LUMPUR: Perodua today launched two 1.5-litre variants as part of its move to buoy its sales momentum into 2012.

The Myvi SE and Myvi Extreme, which promise a combination of style, comfort and power, are expected to be well received by the Malaysian public.

The two variants are available with manual and automatic transmissions. The SE or Special Edition comes in five colours; solid Majestic Yellow, solid Ivory white, Metallic Mystical Purple, Metallic Ebony Black and Metallic Glittering Silver.

But the Extreme body colours are limited to a choice of three: solid Majestic Yellow, Solid Ivory White and Metallic Ebony Black.

The engine, which is the same one as that in the Alza MPV, is the star attraction. The 1.5-litre DOHC, 16V DVVT powerplant produces 102bhp at 6,000rpm and maximum torque of 136Nm at 4,400rpm.

With more power under the bonnet, the latest manual variants can accelerate from 0-100kph in 9.98 seconds compared with the previous Myvi SE’s performance of 12.49 seconds.

Both variants are equipped with anti-lock braking system and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution for enhanced safety.

The SE and Extreme are equipped with bodykit and interior specifications to look sporty with the Extreme version having a styling that looks even more aggressive than the SE. For the first time, the leather-wrapped steering wheel in both cars are fitted with audio controls and the meter cluster gets red lighting to set it apart from the 1.3-litre Myvis.

A 6-inch touchscreen multimedia system with navigation is standard in the Extreme but is an option for the automatic SE,

The SE and Extrem will only be sold domestically for now and cater to young and urban executives who want a car that is sporty and premium.

The new variants are expected to contribute 45% to the monthly sales of 8,000 units of the Myvi model.

Prices ranged from RM50,900 to RM61,700.

The SE (manual) and SE (automatic) are RM50,900 and RM53,900 respectively. The SE (automatic) with sat-nav is RM56,000, while the Extreme (manual) and Extreme (automatic) are RM58,200 and RM61,200 respectively. All prices quoted are for solid colour variants, with metallic colours an extra RM500.

Bookings are now open at all 178 Perodua showrooms nationwide.

Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said the company has received 2,000 bookings for the Myvi 1.5, of which 80% are for the SE variant.

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Perodua Viva Elite: a new look for the Viva

Perodua launched the new Perodua ViVA Elite today, aimed at offering the market a variant with a more stylish image compared to the original ViVA. It is an aesthetic modification in the style of the Myvi SE, and at the same time they’ve revamped the model line-up a little.

The ViVA was first introduced with 660cc, 850cc, 1,000cc and 1,000cc premium variants. Now it has restructured the model lineup, offering the 660 BX MT, 660 EX MT, 850 MT, 1.0 AT, 1.0 ELITE MT, 1.0 ELITE AT, and the 1.0 ELITE EZi. That’s three different variants for the new ViVA ELITE.

Externally, the ViVA Elite has its own front bumper with integrated foglamps, front grille and its own engine hood design. On the side you’ll see chrome door handles, side skirts, and 14 inch 12-spoke alloy wheels. On the back you’ll see a new rear bumper with a honeycomb grille design, and the 1.0 ELITE EZi model (note, this is different from the ELITE AT) gets an additional rear spoiler. The windows of the ViVA Elite also feature a UV protection coating that is said to reject 91% of UV rays.

On the inside you get a new 1-DIN head unit with MP3 and WMA support, an underside tray under the passenger seat, seat backpockets, a new seat fabric design, and fabric trim on the door panels. All ViVA ELITE models will get seat height adjusters for the driver’s seat, and electrically adjustable side mirrors. On the ELITE EZi, these side mirrors are also electrically retractable and have integrated turn signals.

Only the ViVA 1.0 ELITE EZi gets a full load of safety features including dual SRS airbags for the front, ABS brakes, EBD and Brake Assist. Power steering is also only available on the ELITE models. The other non-Elite models are left with just basic features such as reverse sensors on the 850 and 1.0 model, and a CD player on the 660 EX, 850 and 1.0 model. The following are the prices for the new Perodua ViVA range including the non-Elite models:

Perodua ViVA Elite M/T – RM37,900
Perodua ViVA Elite A/T – RM40,900
Perodua ViVA Elite EZi – RM44,900
Perodua ViVA 1.0 AT – RM36,900
Perodua ViVA 850 MT – RM32,900
Perodua ViVA 660 EX MT – RM28,900
Perodua ViVA 660 BX MT – RM25,300

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