Toyota Etios could find its place in the developed Malaysian market. But the car may not get the Toyota badge but instead it could be rebadged as sedan under the Perodua company which is currently the second largest player in the Malaysian market and a more affordable brand under the Toyota group only in Malaysia.
Perodua currently sells on small cars like the Alza, Myvi and Viva which are built on the Daihatsu car platform and get special tax incentives under the Malaysian car project.
The Toyota Etios has been quite successful in the Indian market and is sold with two engine options: 1.5 petrol and 1.4 diesel. The Malaysian market will most probably get the petrol Etios and also get a CVT box as automatics are mostly preferred.
About Perodua
Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (PERODUA), established in 1993, is a joint venture company between Malaysian and Japanese partners (Toyota).
The company started operations in 1994 and the ever so popular Perodua Kancil was introduced to the Malaysian market in August the same year. To date, the following vehicles have rolled out of the Perodua plant:
- The Perodua Rusa – March 1996
- The Perodua Kembara – August 1998
- The Perodua Kenari – June 2000
- The Perodua Kelisa – August 2001
- The Perodua Myvi – May 2005
- The Perodua Viva – May 2007
- The Perodua Nautica 4WD – May 2008
- The Perodua Alza – November 2009
As at end of May 2011, Perodua has sold some 1.9 million units of vehicles of various models.
Perodua vehicles are sold in countries such as the UK, Singapore, Brunei, Fiji, Nepal, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.
Info and Image Source: Carsnbikes.in
