KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 15): Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) has received 13,500 orders for its new Axia, the country's first energy efficient vehicle (EEV), within one month of opening the bookings.

The latest model is an A-segment five-door car that can travel up to 21.6km per litre. It offers one-litre engine and comes in four variants of the Standard E, Standard G, Special Edition and Advance, with prices ranging from RM24,600 to RM42,530 in Peninsular Malaysia.

“We are humbled by the overwhelming response from the public and we will honour that trust, as well as support, by giving the best we can offer,” Perodua President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh told reporters, at the unveiling of Axia by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin here today.

“In conjunction with the launch, we would like to announce another first for Perodua, that is a five-year warranty to all Axia buyers. This is not limited to Axia (car buyers), but will also be extended to buyers of Myvi and Alza.

“This means, the (current) three-year free services will be discontinued upon the introduction of the five-year warranty,” he added.

On the waiting period for the Axia, Aminar said it is approximately one-and-a-half months.

Perodua aims to sell about 30,000 units of Axia by the end of the year.

With the overwhelming response from the public, Aminar is confident that the group is able to capture 30% of the domestic automobile market share by year-end, from 29% currently.

“We are hoping and working hard to achieve our target. We believe that with the introduction of Axia, it would enable us to capture a bigger market share and help us to accomplish our goals, eventually,” he said.

“In addition, Perodua will be moving into the manufacturing of EEV cars and ensure all our products are EEV compliant by 2020,” he added.

On a separate matter, Aminar said Perodua plans to venture into the pre-owned vehicle (POV) business, by setting up its wholly-owned retail centre nationwide, to cater to the increasing demand for used Perodua vehicles.

“The first used car retailing centre is expected to open its door by the end of the year, or early next year,” Aminar said.

He said the first retail centre will most likely be located within the Klang Valley, followed by south of peninsular, the east coast and Sabah and Sarawak.

“At the moment, we are still finalising the warranty package for the used cars [that] the public had traded in,” he said.