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10th May, 2008
If you have been used to Peroduas costing less than RM50,000, the new Nautica compact SUV’s price will surprise you as it is around RM90,000.
This is a big jump from the price of the Kembara, which the Nautica is supposed to be the successor of.
But there are valid reasons for the high price, one of them being that the model is imported is built in Japan at a Daihatsu factory and shipped to Malaysia in completely built-up (CBU) form. Only the bumpers and grille are installed locally.
As the Nautica is a CBU model, it is subject to high import duties which push the price up – the same as what is imposed on models of other brands imported from Japan. Though Perodua is a Malaysian company and has special tax privileges given to it for its locally-built models like the Myvi and Viva, it is not entitled to any such privileges if it chooses to import a model. This demonstrates that the government does not simply give privileges to the Malaysian car companies if it is not justified.
The reason why Perodua has chosen to import a model rather than build it in at its own plant in Selangor is because the potential volume is small.
Though the Kembara was very popular in the late 1990s, accounting for about 60% of SUV sales, the SUV segment has contracted significantly. As such, Perodua does not expect to have enough volume to justify local manufacture.
“We are no longer an assembly operation as our capacity has grown to almost a quarter million units annually,” said Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz bin Syed Abu Bakar, Managing Director of Perodua. “We are now a manufacturing operation and it is not cost-effective to produce models in small quantities.”
He estimates that demand for the Nautica will be about 200 units a month so it’s under 3,000 units a year, a big difference from the Myvi which is produced at a rate of about 7,500 units a month.
The Perodua MD stressed that the company is not changing its mission as a national car company and will continue to manufacture high-volume models locally, offer them at affordable prices and also strive to bring in new technologies as time goes on.
As for the Nautica, launched in KL yesterday, the drivetrain is like that of the Kembara, ie full-time 4WD. However, it has a larger 1.5-litre DVVT engine which produces 108.8 bhp and 141 Nm of torque. Only a 4-speed automatic transmission is available.
Just like the Kembara, the Nautica also has a centre differential lock which will be useful in very difficult conditions. At the press of a button, torque distribution between the front and rear axles is equalized so that every wheel has power to pull the vehicle out of a difficult situation.
The chassis and bodyshell of the Nautica is a tough and rigid with suspension by means of MacPherson struts in front and a 5-link rigid axle at the rear using coil springs.
The styling of the Nautica has some elements of the previous Kembara but is bigger in all respects. However, you may also notice that it has some similarity to the Toyota Rush and this is because of the shared development by Daihatsu and Toyota (Daihatsu is part of the Toyota Group).
However, a big difference is that the Nautica is a shorter version in keeping with Perodua’s speciality in compact models.
The shorter dimensions mean that it has only two rows of seats instead of three like the Rush. Thus it is aimed at a slightly different target group of customers, perhaps younger and do not need space for seven persons.
The cabin of the Nautica is as modern as you’d expect a SUV to be.
Being imported from Japan has allowed Perodua to include a number of features since it is cheaper when they are sourced in Japan where the factory makes tens of thousands of the same model which is sold as a Daihatsu Terios/BeGo.
One such feature is an information display panel in the speedometer which tells such things as remaining range for fuel in the tank, air temperature and average fuel consumption.
Cargo capacity is, of course, very good and flexible too. With the rear backrests up, there is enough space for two suitcases and when more is needed, half or both the backrests can be folded down. Pictures by Perodua show that even a small racing bicycle can be carried (but it has to be positioned diagonally across the floor).
A full complement of safety features come with the Nautica – ABS + EBD, two front airbags and there is even consideration for pedestrians who hit the front of the vehicle. As a specialist in compact vehicles, Daihatsu has long experience in engineering crash-resistant structures and the Nautica has ample protection for its occupants.
I drove the Nautica in a hill resort area last week and was impressed by the handling. It has a nimble feel and has a firm ride which is not uncomfortable though.
The new 1.5-litre engine was a bit tight as it was still new but what I noticed was that the transmission gets through the gears smoothly, something that is not always the case. This was all the more impressive on slopes as shifts can be jerky but with the Nautica, there was no jerkiness.
I am sure that Perodua will find enough customers for the Nautica even though its price is way higher than any Perodua ever offered before.
The brand image of the company has grown in its 15 years and many Malaysians who have had a good experience with earlier models have become loyal.
Now there is a model which they can upgrade to and though they pay more money, they are getting very high quality and that should make the difference.
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