On the Perodua MPV, he hinted that it would be priced between RM56,000 and RM67,000, available in both manual and automatic transmission and powered by a 1.5-litre engine.
The MPV would be targeted at both first-time buyers and “individuals with families,” he said, adding: “It is a car when you want it and an MPV when you need it,” said Syed Hafiz in a press statement here.
What I want to draw attention to is at the last part of the sentence "It is a car when you want it and an MPV when you need it". It might seem nothing much at a glance, but read between the lines and it will give you hints of Perodua's marketing strategy / product positioning for their first MPV model.
In other words - the car will not be a direct competitor to any of the existing true blue MPV models, simply because it can't offer the same utility space as a full sized MPV (i.e. Proton Exora). Information from those who have seen the car in its Japan Domestic Market form suggests that the car is a lot smaller than it appears on paper, though the second row area is very spacious but the third row seats are one of those that can only accommodate those who are either very tiny or is a contortionist by profession. Luggage area is pretty much non-existent with the third row seats in use. This is a common problem for MPVs that are developed off existing passenger car platform. I am no chassis engineer but I understand that this is due to certain critical safety parameters like seatbelt and seat mounting points are fixed on any platform and these cannot be altered much. One can't simply extend the rear overhang without incurring very significant engineering cost. Thus, most budget passenger car based MPVs have disproportionately spaced second and third row area.
The car has been sold in in Japan for more than half a year already so it is nothing really that much of a secret that Perodua likes to assume it is. The local Perodua rebadged version will not differ very significantly from its JDM cousin. Plus, it is understood that Proton did import one unit of the Passo Sette for their own evaluation (unregistered though, possibly imported with R&D AP).
Back to the quote by Syed Hafiz, I am not suggesting that one tries to read too much into what others are saying, it only applies to certain people. Japanese company bosses in particular, are not known to speak their mind and their comments are usually very orchestrated to sound very politically correct. I first realised that Syed Hafiz is one of those corporate guys whom you can read between the lines of their official statements to make some intelligent guesses on their stance when he said that he prefers driving his Perodua Myvi rather than his official company car - the Lexus LS460L (Perodua is a sister company of the UMW group, which also controls the distributorship of Toyota and Lexus vehicles).
He said this is an interview sometime back,
Although Syed Hafiz has a Lexus LS 460L as his official ride, he is very down to earth and practical when going downtown for dinner – he drives the Myvi instead.
I don’t like driving the Lexus downtown because there are a lot of motorcycles zipping around. The car is quite large and difficult to park. Compact cars are the best since you only need an opening in parking bays to park it. Besides, there is no way you can get five persons into the Lexus but you can do that with the Myvi. A MyVi over a LS460L. C'mon, need I elaborate further?
Of course you can't be that naive to think that he is really that down to earth! It's just that the company culture is such that he is not allowed to speak his mind. Of course he has to promote his own products.
Related link
Leaked Details on Perodua Alza - Perodua's new MPV
Passo Sette / Sirion Luminas - preview to Perodua's MPV
Passo Sette / Sirion Luminas hints to MyVi based MPV?
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