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.