New 2023 Perodua Axia (D74A) Bookings Now Open!

This is it, folks. National carmaker Perodua has officially announced that bookings are now open for what is the all-new generation 2023 Perodua Axia supermini through authorised dealers nationwide.

Codenamed internally as D74A, no less than four variants will be available and, based on the flyer Perodua released on its website earlier this morning, there’s indeed much to look forward to.

Firstly, we’ll break the bad news, by which we mean this successor to perhaps Malaysia’s best-selling and most affordable supermini will LIKELY NOT pack a turbocharged heart.

Instead, Perodua says it will harness an “EEV engine with D-CVT” that promises an average fuel consumption of 27.4 KM/litre (or 3.7 litres/100 KM). This exceptionally low figure comes courtesy of a newly added ‘Eco Idle’ system (idling stop-start).

What this likely alludes to is that the outgoing Axia’s 1KR-VE 1.0-litre 3-cyl naturally aspirated VVT-I mill being retained. However, the biggest change of course lies in its adoption of Perodua’s latest Dual-Mode CVT (D-CVT) transmission instead of a 4-speed automatic.

This, indeed, is a welcoming move given just how well this transmission has performed in the refreshed Myvi, as well as the Ativa and new Alza.

Perodua didn’t release further details regarding the powertrain, but we can expect the 1.0-litre 3-cyl mill retaining the same 67 HP and 91 NM output figures as it does currently in the now outgoing Axia. Based on the flyer again, the mill will be further bolstered with a selectable ‘POWER’ drive mode, as the DNGA-based Alza and Ativa models have on board.

Speaking of DNGA, said chassis platform is what the new Axia will underpin, thus we can expect similar styling with the aforementioned Ativa and Alza models that share the same bones.

Perodua has somewhat teased this notion by giving us a glimpse of the new Axia’s headlights, which does sport some similarities with its fellow DNGA-based cousins the Alza and Ativa.

Crucially, the new platform also means that the new Axia will be a lot more up-market than before too as it will pack plenty of new features. Key highlights to which include all-LED headlights and Daytime Running Lights (DRL), 7-inch TFT digital instrument panel plus a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment unit both offering high levels of interactivity, as well as keyless entry.

More importantly though is the DNGA platform’s promise for greater safety. This is evident with the promise of up to 6 airbags lining the cabin plus the addition of the ‘Perodua Smart Drive Assist’. The latter should see things like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) being made available in this new supermini for the first time.

Those, by the way, come on top of core basics that will be standard across the range like ABS with EBD and BA, both Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TCS) suites, as well as Hill-Start Assist (HSA). In short, all of these sees the new Axia promising to be safer than ever before too.

As for colourways, the new 2023MY Axia will be available across five colour choices. Besides a sole Ivory White solid paint option, four metallic hues are available and it includes Glittering Silver, Granite Grey, Lava Red, as well as a new Coral Blue hue.

In terms of price, Perodua did not release any details, though based on the outgoing face-lifted and VSC-equipped Axia GXtra variant’s RM34,990 base price, we can expect the new Axia range to command a slightly higher starting figure of at least RM38,600.

Lastly, Perodua didn’t explicitly mention a launch date yet, but given that bookings are now open, we can likely expect a full-blown launch to take place in the middle of next month (February). Until then, you can expect to see a raft of teasers from Perodua.

What are your thoughts of the all-new 2023 Perodua Axia then, folks? Has Perodua got itself another winner here? Hit the comments below with your thoughts, then…

UPDATE: 31 Jan, 2023 @ 3:30PM:
Following the Perodua 2023 Outlook press conference held earlier today, the national carmaker has stated that bookings for the new Axia D74A model can now be booked at the tentative price range between RM38,600 and RM49,500, depending on variant.

The final price of the new generation Axia will be revealed at its launch that’s slated to take place in just a few weeks time.