KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Infamous among Malaysians for the antics of its drivers on the road, the Perodua Myvi has garnered a devoted following since its domestic launch back in 2005.
From official fan clubs to social media pages, Myvi enthusiasts have formed their own community celebrating their beloved car and the memories attached to it.
However, it seems that Malaysia’s ‘King of the Road’ has finally been stopped in its tracks by an unlikely contender — the Perodua Bezza.
In 2023 the Bezza took pole position as Malaysia’s most popular car, ending the Myvi’s five-year reign at the top spot. According to data published by the Road Transport Department (JPJ), 56,735 Bezza’s were registered in 2023, outpacing the Myvi which had 45,014 cars registered that same year.
Based on JPJ’s data, Proton hasn’t been able to clinch a spot in the top three since 2016, with Perodua making a clean sweep of the rankings.
Price-wise, the Bezza wins. All four models of the Bezza are cheaper in comparison to the Myvi’s five models, making it a wallet-friendly option for drivers. The price of the Bezza (without insurance) ranges from RM35,580 to RM49,980, while the Myvi ranges in price from RM46,500 to RM59,900 (without insurance).
The Bezza is also claimed to be slightly more fuel efficient than the Myvi. On the Perodua site, Bezza’s most fuel efficient model boasts a consumption of 4.4l/100km (22.8km/l), while Myvi’s is 4.5l/100km (22.2km/l).
The marginally better fuel consumption is most likely due to Bezza’s lighter weight of 902.5kg, versus Myvi’s average weight of 1,005kg.
In terms of luggage capacity, Bezza’s far exceeds that of the Myvi. All Bezza models boast a luggage capacity of 508 litres, compared to the 277 litres of the Myvi’s five models. Given that the typical Malaysian household has a median size of 3.8 people, the Bezza is better equipped than the Myvi for travelling, family outings, and transporting bulky items.
However, from January to December 2023, the Myvi consistently generated more search interest on Google than the Bezza. The term ‘Perodua Myvi’ had an average search interest value of 82, while ‘Perodua Bezza’ had an average value of 38.
Further analysis of the Google Trends search data reveals that each state has its own preferences regarding these two car models.
The term ‘Perodua Myvi’ was most popular in Terengganu (100), Kelantan (97), Kedah (86), Pahang (85) and Perlis (82). Meanwhile, ‘Perodua Bezza’ was more popular in the states of Sarawak (100), Sabah (81), Labuan (64), Malacca (54) and Pahang (54).
— Bernama
