Perodua Aruz gets 300 orders in less than 30 hours

KUALA LUMPUR: The beginning of this new year became special for Perodua as it received an overwhelming response to the ‘open for booking’ advertisement for the new Aruz. The buyers came in numbers and the company was able to record a total of 300 bookings in a matter of just 30 hours.

Out of the two available variants, the 1.5 X and the 1.5 Advance, the 60% of bookings were for the higher-grade variant. The three-row 7-seater Perodua vehicle is a B-segment compact SUV that is likely to be launched in the ongoing first quarter of 2019. However, the exact launch date is yet to be known.

Dato Zainal Abidin Ahmad, the president and CEO of Perodua said, “We plan sales of about 2,000 plus a month for this year,” On asked about the new Aruz would be a direct competitor to the X70 he said, "Our SUV is not really a C-segment vehicle; it is a B-segment car so it is a compact SUV. So I don't think it is a direct competition [to the X70>.”

Perodua sold around 20,000 more vehicles in 2018 than what they did in 2017. On this Zainal said, “This is beyond our expectation and this performance was due to unique circumstances in 2018, such as the tax holiday which happened between June and August. The new Myvi which was launched in November 2017 also contributed positively to our sales performance last year.”

For 2019, the company is keen on improving and delivering appreciable results to the regional level and beyond he added in his statement. "My team and I will build upon the foundation that the previous leaders have laid and see through the implementation of our second transformation phase up to 2021. We will continue our cause on our transformation programme; this means defending our market share domestically and vigorously pursuing export opportunities in Asia-Pacific region and beyond," he concluded.

For unawares, the Perodua Aruz is available in two variants and five color options, including Electric Blue, Ivory White, Granite Grey, Glittering Silver, and Amazon Green. Under the bonnet, it gets a 1496 cc four-cylinder engine that pumps out a max power of 105 PS at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 136 Nm at 4,200 rpm, mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox.