Perodua confident 2010 will be its best year ever

Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) expects 2010 to be its best year ever as sales volume rises to 176,000 units buoyed by its new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), its chief said.

Perodua group managing director Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar also forecasts total industry volume (TIV) to reach some 530,000 units next year.

The country registered its highest TIV of some 548,000 in 2008 and Hafiz said that volume will be revisited in 2011 as the economy turns buoyant again.

"Industry sales will gradually climb and may hit 548,000 units in 2011," he said at a media gathering in Putrajaya, yesterday.

Perodua, the country's number one car company in sales term since 2006, is banking on the 1.5-litre MPV codenamed D46T to drive sales, besides the ever popular Myvi and Viva compact cars.

Since its inception in 1994, the company had its highest ever volume of some 167,000 units last year.

The MPV, which is due to be launched on November 23, should add 4,000 units to its total sales every month, Hafiz said.

"My staff told me yesterday that for this month and December, we should be able to register 13,000 units a month. This may increase our full-year sales to 164,000 units," he said.

Perodua has revised upwards its sales volume several times this year, as the domestic economy starts picking up pace again.

It initially targeted sales of 139,000 units and last revised the number to about 162,000 units a few weeks ago.

Bookings for the MPV will start on November 13 and senior Perodua executives are hopeful that they can pre-sell about 5,000 units before the launch.

Priced between RM56,000 and RM65,000, the MPV - which will have a cheeky name from a major language in Europe - is targeted at small families and urban singles.

Perodua is spending RM296 million to develop the vehicle and it expects to recoup the investment after more than two years.