Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua (Perodua) unveiled a new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) to the Malaysian media on November 5th.

The MPV is priced at between RM56,000 (US$ 16,500) and RM64,000 and will be officially launched on November 23rd. The public can start placing their orders for the new MPV from November 13rd.

The company is projecting record sales in 2010 as the new MPV is expected to see brisk sales of at least 3,500-4,000 units a month, said managing director Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar. The company expects to sell 162,000 cars this year after hitting a record 168,000 units in 2008.

Production of the MPV is slated at 4,100 units a month, a number which Syed Hafiz also hopes would be the monthly sales.

However, the improvement in the economy and demand for automobiles, especially its latest model, has left Perodua feeling optimistic about sales in 2010.

Speaking after unveiling the MPV to the media, Syed Hafiz said the company's internal surveys showed there was a big demand among Perodua customers for an MPV and one that was competitively priced and fuel efficient. Syed Hafiz says the company's internal surveys showed there is a big demand among Perodua customers for a MPV. "With this new model, the oldest model in our line-up will be the Myvi,'' he said.

The Myvi was launched in 2005, followed by the Viva in 2007.

Helping its projections for next year is the better sales performance expected in the fourth quarter of this year whereby 38,207 cars are expected to be sold compared with 36,945 in the final quarter of 2008.

Total industry volume

Syed Hafiz also forecasts total industry volume (TIV) to reach some 530,000 units next year.

The country registered its highest TIV of some 548,000 in 2008 and Hafiz said that volume will be revisited in 2011 as the economy turns buoyant again. "Industry sales will gradually climb and may hit 548,000 units in 2011," he said.