Following a recent meeting with vehicle parts supplier D-ACT in Japan, minister of investment, trade and industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz was in Kyoto for a tour of Daihatsu’s production plant that was designed based on the ESG (environmental, social and governance) agenda.
During his time there, discussions were held relating to Daihatsu’s long-term investment plan in Malaysia, especially for electric vehicles (EVs) as well as energy efficient vehicles (EEVs). As we all know, Daihatsu has a close relationship with Perodua here, and the latter has already expressed its vision of an EV with the Electric Motion Online (EMO) concept that debuted last month.
However, the national carmaker has said previously it will bring hybrids to market first, although plans are already in motion to begin laying the groundwork for the localisation of EV components.
For now, Perodua has not said what sort of EV is being planned for Malaysia, but a fully electric Axia is a possibility if an EV prototype shown to the MITI minister is anything to go by. Based on photos posted on the minister’s Facebook page, we know the prototype is based on the second-generation Daihatsu Mira e:S.
Details are scarce but the pictured vehicle appears to be front-wheel drive, with the original KF-VE 658 cc naturally-aspirated three-cylinder petrol engine and CVT combo replaced with an electric motor. The interior also looks fairly “normal,” with the only notable changes being a specific head unit that shows the powertrain status and a revised instrument cluster.
Given the test bed is based on a car introduced way back in 2017, it is likely being used to develop EV technologies that could be applied to future models built on the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA), which was designed with CASE (Connected, Automated Driving, Sharing and Electrification) in mind. The current Axia uses this platform, and we’ve already seen electrified DNGA models in the form of hybrid versions of the Rocky, Ativa and Toyota Raize.
The post Tengku Zafrul shown Daihatsu Mira EV prototype in Japan – Perodua Axia electric planned for Malaysia? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
* This article was originally published here
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