Daihatsu to debut new six-seater MPV in December. Will this be the new base for the upcoming Perodua Alza?
Reports have surfaced that Daihatsu is planning to debut an all new six-seater minivan later this year. Looking back at the historical partnership between Daihatsu and Perodua, this new Japanese compact MPV could point to a total revamp of the Perodua Alza in the near future.
Looking at the Alza today, it is clear that this compact MPV needs a facelift soon. Especially considering that the current Alza is based on the previous generation Perodua Myvi. So perhaps this as-yet-unnamed Daihatsu MPV could give us a clue on what the next Alza could look like.
The renderings of what the next-gen Alza should look like were done by the rendering wizard Theophilus Chin. These renderings here show that the new Alza might be a bit taller and adopt a more traditional MPV design as compared to the stretched-Myvi look of current Alza.
To some, these renderings seem to bear no resemblance to the current design language of the new Myvi. Which is to be expected since the new Myvi was designed entirely in-house in Malaysia whereas this rendering here still borrows many design cues from the Daihatsu DN Multisix Concept that debut at the Gaikindo Indonesia Motor Show way back in 2017.
Furthermore, the underpinnings of the new Myvi still share the same platform as per its predecessor, albeit with 70% new parts. So if the Perodua were to continue the tradition of stretching the new Myvi to create a new Alza, the Alza will have nearly nothing in common with the new Daihatsu concept MPV you see here.
That being said, Perodua still has a tendency to rebadge Toyota/Daihatsu products. The Aruz SUV that is basically a Toyota Rush/Daihatsu Terios with a Perodua badge is a recent example of this. So taking that into account, the new Alza might still have a chance at being a rebadged Toyota/Daihatsu product instead of a three-row Myvi.
With that in mind, here is what we know thus far on Daihatsu’s upcoming MPV.
This soon to be launched 6 seater minivan will reportedly be underpinned by Daihatsu’s New Global Architecture (DNGA). The same Toyota-derived architecture that lies beneath many vehicles in both Japanese automakers’ lineup. Including the recently launched Daihatsu Rocky and Toyota Raize set of twin compact SUVs.
As for powertrain options, sources suggest that the upcoming MPV will be fitted with a 1.0 turbocharged three cylinder or a newly developed 1.2 litre three cylinder with hybrid technology derived from Toyota.
However, the likelihood of these engines making it into the Alza are pretty slim on the ground. What would more likely find its way under the hood of the Alza would probably be the same well-proven 1.5 litre engine that is found in the current Myvi mated to the same well-proven 4 speed automatic gearbox.
So, will the new Alza be a rebadged Daihatsu again or another stretched Myvi? Currently only Perodua knows, and Perodua is not telling anyone yet.
