The Perodua Myvi is 20 years old

20 years ago, on May 25 2005, the Perodua Myvi made its debut as the 6^th model in the Malaysia automaker’s range. Response was overwhelming as Myvi went straight to the sixth bestselling model that year, with the Kancil in No. 1 position. By the following year, the Myvi captured the No.1 position in Malaysian sales, which it would hold up till 2022 (with the exception of 2015 – 2017 when the Axia occupied the top position).

Co-developed with Daihatsu and Toyota
The Myvi marked a new phase in the growth of Perodua as it had been developed jointly with Daihatsu as well as Toyota, which had their own versions. Unlike earlier Perodua models which were adapted after Daihatsu had completed development, the Myvi’s development saw engineers and designers from Malaysia being involved in the project right from the start.

They worked alongside teams from Daihatsu (which would call its model the Boon) and Toyota (which also had a version called the Passo). Later on, Subaru also took the model and sold it under its own brand as a Justy.

While their role was small as they were still new to this aspect of vehicle development, the Malaysian team nevertheless had an opportunity to give their input on requirements that were specific to Malaysian buyers. This is one reason why the Myvi had a generously sized interior space – because Malaysians have large families and appreciate more space.

More importantly, the Perodua team had an opportunity to learn about vehicle development. It was from this ‘live’ project that Perodua gained more experience, and with growing trust from Daihatsu, it was assigned more responsibilities in later models to the extent that Malaysians can handle almost all design and engineering aspects today.

Boosting Perodua to become No.1
It was also with the Myvi that quality began to strengthen the appeal of the brand, benefitting the other models in its range and boosting sales. Coupled with enhanced aftersales services, Perodua’s popularity surged to make it the top-selling brand in Malaysia.

80% local content from start
As the product of a Malaysian automaker, Perodua’s products had also to be ‘as Malaysian as it gets’ (as a former minister put it) and right from the start, the target of local content for the Myvi was to be no less than 80%. In order to achieve this, Perodua helped its vendors develop further to increase their capabilities, both in technology as well as production to meet the increased demand anticipated.

Over 1.5 million units sold
At the launch in May 2005, Perodua announced a target of 4,875 units a month, with a total of 39,000 units by the end of that year. Last year, Myvi production was 6,157 units a month. The cumulative volume since 2005 has passed 1.5 million units, making it one of Malaysia’s bestselling models of all time.

Although the Myvi no longer occupies the top spot in monthly sales, it has still been among the top three, alternating positions with the Axia in 2023 and 2024. Now in its third generation, it remains on top of shopping lists for many people who want a car with proven reliability and durability which they can use for a long time – and still have a high value when it is sold off.

Happy birthday, ‘King’!