Perodua announces development of all-aluminium engine
Second national car maker Perodua has announced that its next upcoming model scheduled for launch in 2014 will feature the use of an all-aluminium engine, a first for the company. This information was divulged to members of the press earlier today by Perodua President and CEO Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh at the prize giving ceremony of Perodua’s ‘Revive Your Drive’ contest held at One World Hotel, Bandar Utama.
The new model and its engine will be produced at Perodua’s new RM790 million plant currently under construction adjacent to its existing facility in Rawang, Selangor. No further details have been disclosed about the new model, although it is widely reported that it would be a replacement model of the Viva, the oldest Perodua model currently on sale.
The new engine is likely to be based on an existing designed sourced from Toyota and Daihatsu, with Perodua perhaps providing some fine tuning to suit local conditions. It nevertheless remains a development of considerable undertaking on Perodua’s part, as it will become the first locally produced aluminium engine – the Proton Inspira’s all-aluminium Mitsubishi MIVEC mills come fully imported from Japan.
Meanwhile, the Perodua ‘Revive Your Drive Contest’, which was launched in April as part of the company’s 20th anniversary celebrations, rewarded 24 Perodua owners with RM240,000 worth of repairs and makeovers in total. The contest is divided into four categories, with cars segregated by age – over or under three years. Within each age group, customers in the open category are entitled to win RM5,000 worth of upgrades whilst those who spend in excess of RM250 at the service centres stand to win RM15,000 worth. The contest attracted the submission of 15,000 entries.
“Our objective for this project is to revive the enthusiasm of our customers while at the same time give ideas on how or she can further safely personalize their Perodua vehicles,” Datuk Aminar said.
Aminar further added that, “We will consider similar campaigns in the future and would like to congratulate the winners and thank those who have contributed towards the success of this campaign.
