Perodua or Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd started operations way back in 1993 as the second national car manufacturer and distributor. Since its humble beginnings, it has grown over the years to be a major force in the local automotive industry. In 2006, Perodua for the first time ever took the No. 1 position in the local automobile industry. This is of no surprise on the back of their successful Perodua Myvi launch and consistent performance. With both Myvi and Viva remaining as the top 2 best 
selling models since June to September this year, Perodua managed to strengthen its position with market share of more than 34% up to September this year. There are many reasons for their success and among them, are their single minded focus on the ‘A’ segment and their highly established technical partner, Daihatsu. The production capacity of their plant in Rawang has been increased to 250,000 units per annum to cope with demand from both the local and export markets. In addition to being focused, Perodua had time and time again delivered to customers value for money with good after sales services.
Perodua Viva the company’s 7th model, is a cleverly designed car introduced as the replacement model to the Kelisa. Launched in May this year, it has since become the 2nd best selling model, after Myvi. Three months after its introduction, it was awarded the Best Car award in the supermini category by Autocar Asean 2007.
In slightly more than 4 months, there are currently about 30,000 units of Viva on the road, making it the fastest growing model in term of sales volume. We at Fleet-asia.com certainly do not underestimate Viva despite its compact body size. Viva is an exceptionally practical car especially in the urban areas. It is suitable for all regardless of the nature of their jobs, even those in the sales line will like its compact size which makes handling and more importantly, parking a breeze. It is a friendly car even in term of its ownership cost. Viva is one of the most affordable cars in the market, with reasonable maintenance cost and economical fuel consumption, all of which are big consideration for any fleet owners. It is ideal for the busy sales promoters who run around town daily. In fact, many construction companies and even the ‘boys in blue’ use it as a convenient means of transportation besides the obvious driving schools and car rental companies; amongst others. The Viva is a fun car to drive and is loaded with many practical features. The Perodua Viva, in many ways is the answer to the basic transportation needs for people living in the suburbs.
The exterior of the Viva is a major positive shift from that of the Kelisa and Kancil. It has resemblance to the very popular Myvi in many ways. Its design is in tune with the current market taste and preference. The very pronounced headlights combined with the dominant front bumper, gives it a sturdy presence. In the rear, the vertical mounted rear lights adds in more ways than one to the decent rear and helps it to be easily visible even in dark surroundings. The slanted windshield and sloping hood gives the side profile its elegant look.
The interior is simple yet practical. The dashboard that houses the T-shaped instrument panel blends with the overall greyish colour scheme which complements the interior trim. It comes with a 3-spoke steering wheel while the instrument cluster houses two dials which has bold lettering that offer good legibility even at night. Also available is the more advance digital odometer/trip meter and digital fuel indicator.
Our test drive unit of the Viva was the 850 EX variant which is powered by the 850cc 3 cylinder 12 valves DOHC, DVVT engine. The power plant is rated 39kW at 6000rpm and the maximum torque of 76Nm at 4000rpm. While driving around town, we reached 100 km/h at 3500rpm and 110 km/h at 3900rpm which clearly shows its characteristics of being quite economical in the fuel consumption area. The transmission is the five-speed manual that performed very well. The ride and comfort offered is definitely one of the better ones we experienced in a car in this category. An important observation is the reasonably high seating position especially the driver’s seat that provides good all round visibility and therefore better driving experience.
More refinement is in place for occupants. Viva comes with comfortable fabric seats. The easily reached switches provide lots of convenience; wing mirrors are easily adjustable and all windows can be controlled by the switches on the driver’s door. In addition, cup holders are also available for the front and rear passengers. The ICE, is a radio/CD player with front and rear door speakers. The leg room provided is ample while the cargo space is 146 litres which can be easily expanded to 449 litres once the rear seats are folded.
The colours available are Ivory White (solid), Glittering Silver, Passion Red and Tropical Green, Sapphire Blue and Ebony Black (metallic). On-the-road price including insurance in Peninsular Malaysia is RM32,500 (solid) and RM32,900 (metallic).
On top of the 3-year manufacturer’s warranty, Perodua Viva comes with another 3 years extended warranty. The free service is offered at the first 1,000km, 5,000km and 10,000km. Perodua also believes in giving the best to customers when they send their cars for servicing at authorized outlets. The engine oil used is Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil – Perodua 5W-30.
In terms of nationwide presence, to date, there are 154 Perodua service centres. The extensive service network ensures that fleet owners are able to maintain their cars with much convenience. In making service one of their key priorities, a special ‘1 Hour Superservis’ campaign was launched earlier this year which is another example of the company’s commitment to its customers.
Perodua also has a list of 19 insurers in their panel to assist you in insuring your cars.
Perodua also has a dedicated fleet sales department which offers specialist services including special price for fleet sales, priority allocation, after sales/spare parts support and they will also provide the necessary product knowledge training to ensure that the car is well-maintained.
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