Manufacturer Perodua Assembly Rawang, Malaysia Body style 5-door hatchback | Production 2014–present Class City car (A) | |
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Layout Front-engine, front-wheel-drive | ||
The Perodua Axia is a five-door hatchback produced by Malaysian automobile manufacturer, Perodua. It was launched on 15 September 2014 as the successor to the Viva. The car takes over the title of being the most affordable car in Malaysia from the Viva. The Axia is the first model to début from Perodua's all-new second factory in Rawang, Selangor.
Contents
The name ‘Axia’, which is pronounced ‘a-zee-a’ or ‘A-xia’, is derived from the word Asia. The letter ‘x’ in ‘Axia’ also represents the number ten, as the Axia is Perodua's tenth model.
Pre-launch
The Axia was developed as the successor to the Viva. Perodua chose to license the Daihatsu Ayla/Toyota Agya platform for their Viva Replacement Model (VRM). The Ayla and Agya duo have been on sale in neighbouring Indonesia and Philippines since 2013, but not in Malaysia. Although the Viva replacement model will be based on the Ayla/Agya platform, Perodua has iterated that the upper body and external elements will be indigenously designed, and the car will not be just a rebadged model.
On 26 August 2013, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak announced that the replacement model to the Viva will launch in 2014 as the cheapest new car on the market. The new model will be built at Perodua's all-new RM1.3 billion, 65,000 sq ft second manufacturing plant, located adjacent to the company's original factory in Rawang, Selangor. Perodua's new factory will mirror Daihatsu Kyushu's factory in terms of work ethics, technology and efficiency. Perodua has since announced the construction of a new engine manufacturing factory in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan at cost of RM600 million.
Perodua showcased the Global Model A Segment Space (GMA) concept at the 2013 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show in November. The GMA previewed the interior design of the Viva Replacement Model (VRM). Perodua also showcased a new engine, the 1.0 litre Daihatsu 1KR-DE as a possible candidate for the VRM.
On 11 June 2014, the first spyshots of an undisguised Perodua Axia were leaked online. Further photos of various pre-launch Perodua Axia units have since been leaked online, but on 6 August 2014, additional photos revealed the final product name was indeed ‘Perodua Axia’, after months of media speculation.
On 11 August 2014, Perodua teased a photo of the Axia on their official Facebook page. Three days later, Perodua announced that bookings for the Axia will open on 15 August, with prices starting from RM24,900 along with a five-year warranty, a first for a Perodua model. The following day, the first official photo from Perodua confirmed the product name ‘Axia’ along with the tagline ‘Your Smart Move’. Later that same day, even more extensive official details on the Axia were unveiled. Perodua released a teaser of the front end of the Axia Standard E and G variants on 19 August 2014. The more expensive Axia SE and Advance variants sport a more aggressive and sporty exterior, whereas the cheaper Standard E and G trim lines offer a more modest and basic package.
The tentative pricing and equipment list for the Perodua Axia was leaked online on 14 August 2014.
In the morning of 19 August 2014, Perodua announced that around 3,500 bookings have been made for the Axia in just the five days since 15 August, when bookings were officially opened. Around 60-70% of the total bookings were made for the mid-range Axia Standard G model, whereas around 13% accounted for the base model, the Axia Standard E, and the remaining 17-27% made up the more expensive Axia SE and range-topping Axia Advance models. Additionally, Perodua maintained that production of the now seven-year-old Viva will continue for as long as the demand persists. However, production of the no-frills Viva 660 and high-end Viva 1.0 and Elite is expected to cease nonetheless, with just the mid-range Viva 850 remaining in production. Perodua also claimed that the all-new Axia will have 95% locally sourced content, with the remainder being imported from Indonesia and Japan. Despite having the vast majority of parts and components locally sourced, Perodua will still have to pay royalties to Toyota and Daihatsu for the licensing of their platform, engine and other key elements which were not indigenously designed by Perodua in Malaysia. Perodua also announced during the media briefing on 19 August that the tentative launch of the Perodua Axia would be in September 2014. The company aims to sell 10,000 Axia units per month.
The Axia, which is an city car/A-segment car was not originally launched to compete with the similar but more upmarket subcompact/B-segment Proton Iriz, which also launched in the second half of 2014.
Facelift
The Axia received a facelift update on 20 January 2017.
Interior
The interior dimensions are similar to those of the Myvi, with rear legroom being particularly generous for a car with such a modest footprint. The cabin is light and airy, with good visibility all round. Interior quality does not stand out in its class, but is a marked improvement over its predecessor the Viva. Instruments are well laid out too and the cabin storage is well thought out.
Safety
The Perodua Axia has been crash tested by the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia (ASEAN NCAP), and has claimed a 4-Star rating, thus becoming the second Perodua model to score a 4-Star rating after the Alza. The Axia is also safer than the 3-Star rated Myvi, despite being a smaller car.
The Perodua Axia Standard G, SE and Advance variants are equipped with an Anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and Brake assist (BA). The cheaper, no-frills Axia Standard E variant is not equipped with the aforementioned features. The Axia is equipped with 2 airbags for all variants.
The ASEAN NCAP has yet to announce the official scores for the Perodua Axia, but it is assumed that the 4-Star rating is only applicable for the Axia Standard G, SE and Advance variants.
Powertrains
The Perodua Axia will only be offered with one petrol engine, the 998cc 12-valve DOHC 1KR-DE2 l3, sourced from Toyota and Daihatsu but is redesigned by Perodua. The new 1.0 litre engine offers 66 hp (49 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 90 Nm (66 lb ft) of torque at 3,600 rpm. It is Perodua's first engine to be made with aluminium parts, which are lighter than their cast iron equivalents. As a result, the new 1KR-DE2 engine weighs 69 kg, or 10 kg less than the old 989cc EJ-VE engine in the Perodua Viva. Unlike the 1KR-FE engine, The 1KR-DE in the Axia is not equipped with Toyota's Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) technology. The new engine is also Euro IV compliant.
The sole 1.0L engine in the Axia is paired to a choice of two transmissions, a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic respectively. Perodua claims that the Axia is capable of achieving up to 21.6 km/L with the manual, and 20.1 km/L with the automatic while in ‘ECO Mode’. All Axias will come equipped with an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system for greater ease of steering, in addition to improved fuel-efficiency.
The Perodua Axia became the first car to qualify under Malaysia's 2014 National Automotive Policy (NAP) Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) fuel-efficiency standards on its late 2014 launch.