Perodua to Offer Kelisa Limited Edition soon
When the Perodua Kelisa first made its appearance, one of the common comments about its looks was that it had some resemblance to the old Mini, especially when viewed from the back. Well, now it seems that the looks are going to be closer to the new Mini because Perodua is coming out with special version that has bold colours and a black top… just like the new Mini!
Perodua will not comment on the coincidence of the similar colour scheme for the Kelisa Limited Edition (LE) and no one can really criticise them for having a ‘Mini lookalike’ since colour schemes aren’t patented. But the looks of the car are changed somewhat and a refreshing change from the single coloured body. Even Mr. Bean might fall for it…
The Kelisa LE actually started off as a roadshow exercise, something to add colour to the Perodua roadshows. However, visitors were very attracted to it and the response was so great that the marketing boys at Perodua were encouraged to come up with a small-volume run of just 2,600 units.
From what AW understands, it will be a one-off production run so as to provide some exclusivity for buyers. However, we hear that other ideas are being discussed in Perodua and you can expect some Kelisas with more exciting looks in future.
According to a source in Perodua, analysis of their customer profiles revealed that there’s a significant group of young male customers who would appreciate sporty modifications and want their car to stand out from the crowd. Something like the Kelisa LE could be just what they want.
At the Perodua roadshows, there were three colours, all with glossy black tops but the actual production run will have only glossy red and glossy yellow bodies. It’s not just the roof panel that is black but also the roof pillars and door mirrors; with illegal tinting, the car would look pretty cool!
The Kelisa LE is based on the GX version and will only come with a 5-speed manual transmission because sporty performance is what the target customers want. It is not based on the Kelisa EZ, which has an automatic transmission, because EZ owners prefer comfort and convenience. Perodua has not ruled out another special edition for the Kelisa EZ but it may not necessarily have the same visual theme.
It’s not only the exterior that gets special treatment as there are also some exclusive goodies inside. The instrument panel will have a black background and on the centre console, there is cubic printing (as in the latest Kembara Special Edition but with a different pattern).
The seats will also be exclusively upholstered for the Kelisa LE. Leather will be used with stitching of the same colour as the exterior so the seats are going to look very sporty indeed. The steering wheel will also be leather-wrapped.
Although the price for the Kelisa LE is supposed to be announced later, AW’s personnel (who are specially trained to read papers upside down) managed to find out the price while sitting at a marketing executive’s table. They reported that the on-the-road price is indicated in an internal memo as RM39,243.88. That works out to be RM3,016 more than the Kelisa GX (including RM78 more for the higher value of insurance coverage).
It’s still slightly cheaper than a fully-equipped non-metallic Kelisa EZ model which costs RM39,898.75, and you also get the roof spoiler and sports rims from the Kelisa EZ.
RM3,000 extra for the special paintwork and goodies sounds like a pretty good deal. Of course, you could have your Kelisa painted in the same way but you won’t be able to get a true factory finish because it is not baked in the same way. The paint shop at Perodua’s factory is a state-of-the-art facility and after-market refinishing can never match its quality.
We’re not sure if you can place a booking but you can try. We’ve been told that it will be on sale during the third quarter of 2002 and if you have noticed, Perodua often introduces a new product around National Day. If the Perodua salesman asks you how come you know so much, tell him you read all about the Kelisa LE in autoworld.com.my!
