KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today launched the all new Perodua Alza at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here.

In his opening speech, Ismail Sabri said that he was proud of Perodua's success at the launch of its latest iteration of its multipurpose vehicle (MPV), not only from a sales point of view, but also as an entity that places great emphasis on the development of the country's automotive industry.

"The launch of all new Perodua Alza is one of Perodua's highest achievements since the company was established, and has been a testament to the effective cooperation between the government and the private sector since time immemorial.

"On behalf of the government, I am very grateful to Perodua for its persistence in finding opportunities to work with various ministries to develop the country's automotive industry ecosystem, for the well-being of Keluarga Malaysia," he said.

Perodua president and chief executive officer Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said that the all new Alza already has over 30,000 bookings since it started taking orders last month, making it the highest ever in the compact carmaker's history.

"This achievement was due to several factors, chief among them was that customers wanted to take full advantage of the sales tax exemption initiative, which expired on June 30, 2020, and over the 200,000 bookings we currently hold, nearly 15 per cent was for this full model change," he said.

According to Zainal, other factors that contribute to the high booking numbers include the attractiveness of the new Alza's overall value package — which includes enhanced safety features such as six airbags, Advanced Safety Assist features, enhanced digital offerings, ample space and improved driving comfort.

He said that customers would start receiving their new Alza's nationwide and that all bookings would be fulfilled by March 31. 2023.

The new Perodua Alza is officially priced at RM62,500 for the X model, RM68,000 for the H model, and RM75,000 for the AV version.