Perodua D66B Set For April 2024 Debut?

Speculative render of the Perodua D66B (or Nexis) by Theophilus Chin (@Theottle).

As reported prior, national carmaker Perodua is poised to expand its crossover SUVs range further by introducing a new compact crossover  offering to slot above its popular Ativa offering.

Currently designated as the Perodua D66B with a rumoured ‘Nexis’ nameplate, the hype surrounding this model’s arrival is palpable to say the least. Initially, the Perodua D66B was speculated by Kenanga Research to debut sometime within the first quarter (Q1) of this year. 

We’re almost at the tail-end of Feb now, but Perodua remains mum about the model’s launch date. Nevertheless, Kenanga Research’s latest industry note reportedly touts Perodua’s new model for an imminent launch by April this year, or early in Q2 to be exact.

Speculation is rife online that the Perodua D66B (or Nexis) will debut as early as April this year.

Furthermore, the research arm of Kenanga Investment Bank also notes that the Perodua D66B’s launch will be followed up with the local market debut of its Toyota-badged Yaris Cross twin in the same month.

However, our insider source at UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) had previously indicated that the Yaris Cross will arrive later in the third quarter (Q3) instead – the Toyota bZ4X all-electric (EV) SUV will debut first within Q1.

Conflicting timelines aside, what’s certain is that both the Perodua D66B (or Nexis) and Toyota Yaris Cross will eventually enter our market. How soon though remains to be seen, but we’ve got a clear idea of what’s to come through Perodua’s efforts.

The new DNGA-based Toyota Yaris Cross has already debuted in neighbouring Indonesia and Thailand, with the latter Kingdom seeing Hybrid-only versions on sale too.

Another insider source of ours had already indicated to us prior that the Perodua version of this new DNGA-based compact crossover is set to became said national brand’s first hybrid (HEV) series production model.

This is perhaps a key indication that Perodua garnered favourable assessment of the viability of a homegrown hybrid offering – likely through the special Perodua Ativa Hybrid ‘subscription’ programme conducted sometime back.

Fuelling this further is the fact that the Toyota Yaris Cross had recently launched in hybrid (HEV) form in neighbouring Indonesia and Thailand. Given what’s seen in said markets, we can expect Perodua – and perhaps UMWT – to offer similar specifications.

In Thailand, the Toyota Yaris Cross HEV boasts class-leading fuel efficiency figures as low as 3.8 litres/100 KM (26.3 KM/litre). 

As a refresher, the DNGA-based Yaris Cross HEV employs a 1.5-litre 4-cyl petrol mill paired with a hybrid electric motor and battery setup, the former, primarily tasked as a charging generator, rated at 91 PS and 121 Nm whilst the latter serves up 80 PS and 141 NM. 

Managing both outputs to the front wheels is a CVT automatic transmission. In the case of the Thai-spec version, said model promises to sip as low as 3.8 litres/100 KM (26.3 KM/litre) on average – it currently stands as the most frugal in class in the Thai market.

Will we see the Perodua-badged D66B or Toyota-badged Yaris Cross version debut locally before the other?

We’re only halfway through Q1 right now, so there’s still an off-chance that Perodua might unveil its new D66B offering, but we won’t hold our breaths just yet.

We’ll have more on this as its develops. In the meantime, what’s your take on things? Hit the comments below – and our social media pages – with your thoughts…