KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 12): National car maker Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd's (Perodua) first energy efficient compact sedan, Perodua Bezza, has reached 19,000 orders in just three weeks, after it was launched on July 21.

“As of yesterday, 5,000 Perodua Bezzas has been successfully delivered since it was launched on July 21 and we expect to deliver a total of 1,000 units by end of today,” said Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Aminar Rashid Salleh said in a statement.

By day-end, about 6,000 units would have been delivered, according to Perodua in the same statement.

“We are very thankful to the Malaysian public for their support and for choosing us as their automotive brand of choice. We are now focusing our efforts on timely delivery of the Perodua Bezza to our valued customers,” Aminar said.

The breakdown of the deliveries are: 42% Perodua Bezza 1.3L Advance Version, 43% Perodua Bezza 1.3L Premium X, and 15% Perodua Bezza 1.0L variant.

The “A” segment compact sedan is the first Perodua vehicle, with an upper body that was fully designed by Malaysians. The design of Bezza began in 2014, with the support of Perodua’s partner, Daihatsu of Japan.

Perodua has invested RM300 million to develop the Bezza and the model has 95% local content.

The Bezza is produced at Perodua's EEV-certified plant, Perodua Global Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, which is a modern facility with over 75% automation rate.

Its price ranges from RM37,300 to RM50,800.