KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — Former Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has raised concerns about the lack of important safety features on the latest Perodua Axia E 2023.
The new Axia E is currently the cheapest car in Malaysia priced at RM22,000 (without insurance) and it is aimed at providing motorcycle owners a chance to own a car that can carry up to 5 passengers.
According to the former minister, he is glad that large car markers are keeping their consumer’s pockets in mind with plenty of choices and a range of specs.
However, he said there shouldn’t be a compromise on the safety and security of the driver.
Wee added that certain specs such as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) should not be left out just to bring the vehicle’s price down to “Rahmah” level.
While acknowledging lower-income households facing financial difficulties, he said the government should find more ways to help them and reducing vehicle safety specs to satisfy a lower price point is not the answer.
He elaborated that studies have shown that ESC and other “anti-skid” technologies can prevent about 40 per cent of deaths and collisions from crashes due to loss of control.
He said ABS and ESC are decades-old technologies that have been proven to significantly reduce accidents and the cost for these features have also reduced significantly.
Wee urged Perodua to rethink its latest model, which despite lacking ABS, EBD and ESC, still manages to get a 4-star Asean NCAP rating. The former minister said the Axia E’s spec is based on approvals given under NCAP in 2014.
The former minister also said that all new cars are supposed to come with ESC as standard effective June 1, 2018 which was announced by his predecessor Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai. However, it is worth mentioning that this mandate is only applicable to all-new vehicles introduced to the market. Perodua mentioned in 2016 that it won’t be able to install ESC on its existing models.
Since then, their all-new model lineup such as the Myvi, Ativa and Alza, all have ABS, EBD and ESC included across the range. The same set of safety features can also be found on the all-new DNGA-based Perodua Axia launched this year.
The Perodua Bezza compact sedan has ABS and EBD across the range, however, the entry-level Bezza 1.0G automatic and manual lacks ESC. The cheapest new car with ABS, EBD and ESC is still the Perodua Axia 2023 1.0G that’s priced at RM38,600. The next option is the Proton Saga 1.3 Standard Automatic which is priced at RM38,800.
The “new” Axia E 2023 manual is still based on the first gen Perodua Axia launched in 2014 but it gets some minor cosmetic changes and a price reduction of RM2,090.
For the price, the Axia E is a very bare no-frills vehicle as it doesn’t even come with a radio, speakers, central locking, remote door lock & alarm and even carpet mats. The only notable safety features are two front airbags and ISOFIX for child seats.
Despite the barebones offering, it still has air-conditioning, power steering and power windows for all four doors. Perodua aims to sell 1,500 units of the Axia E on a monthly basis. — SoyaCincau
