Almost four years since the initial subscription-only Perodua Ativa Hybrid was introduced in Malaysia, the second national car maker has revealed plans to produce the model here.
According to a report by The Star, Perodua President and CEO Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad revealed that the company is currently in the final stages of discussion, including production time and pricing for the upcoming Ativa Hybrid.
“Once we finalise all those items, we will make a proper announcement at a later date. Rest assured, the hybrid of this Ativa model will be produced locally,” he mentioned during a press conference in conjunction with the visit of the Japan Ambassador to Malaysia Noriyuki Shikata to Perodua’s Serendah plant.
According to Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin, he mentioned that Perodua received about 1.5 billion yen (~RM 37 million) from the Global South Fund to support Japanese hybrid technology in Malaysia.
As a recap, the subscription-only Perodua Ativa Hybrid is essentially a rebadged Daihatsu Rocky Hybrid that is fully imported (CBU) from Japan. 300 units were brought into the country for Perodua to study owners’ acceptance to a vehicle subscription model.
At the heart of the CBU Perodua Ativa Hybrid is Daihatsu’s e-Smart petrol-electric hybrid system, which sees a naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine acting as an on-board generator for the hybrid battery. Said hybrid battery powers the front-mounted electric motor that outputs 78 kW (106 PS) and 170 Nm.
Like the C28 Nissan Serena e-Power, the Ativa Hybrid is a range extender EV (REEV), in which the engine doesn’t drive the front wheels; the wheels are driven by the electric motor. This is a different hybrid system when compared to the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid or the Vios Hybrid, despite all models sharing the DNGA platform.
Perodua says that the Ativa Hybrid is able to return 31.3 km/L under the Malaysian Driving Cycle, or roughly 27.8 km/L under the WLTP test cycle.
No word on pricing yet, but the current turbo-only Perodua Ativa is priced between RM 62,500 to RM 73,400. Expect a price premium for the Ativa Hybrid when it launches here in Malaysia.