CarBrandLogos archive · Perodua · 1994

PeroduaKancil

Named after a mousedeer, and the car half of Malaysia learned to drive in.

Photo: User:Two hundred percent. · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Perodua history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Perodua Kancil, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Malaysia already had one national carmaker in Proton when Perodua was set up to build something smaller and cheaper. Its first product, launched in August 1994, was a licensed version of the Daihatsu Mira: a five-door city car with a three-cylinder engine of 660 to 850cc, front-wheel drive, and a price that put new-car ownership within reach of a much wider group of Malaysians.

Perodua Kancil , Serdang · User:Two hundred percent. · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The name comes from the kancil, the mousedeer of Malay folklore, a small animal that outwits larger ones, which is about as accurate a description of the car's role as anyone could write.

Perodua Kancil , Serdang · User:Two hundred percent. · CC BY-SA 3.0

In production

It worked completely. More than 720,000 were built over fifteen years, and the car became the default first vehicle, driving-school car and city runabout across the country, to the point where a generation of Malaysian drivers took their test in one. Its reliability and tiny running costs mattered more to buyers than its performance, which was modest even by city-car standards.

Perodua Kancil , Kuala Lumpur · User:Two hundred percent. · CC BY-SA 3.0

Legacy

Production ended in July 2009, replaced by the Viva, by which time Perodua had become the largest-selling car brand in Malaysia, ahead of Proton.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Units built

722,223

Engine

Petrol engine

Body

5-door hatchback

Technical specification

The Kancil, in detail.

Production: August 1994 – July 2009; 722,223 built
Class: City car
Body style: 5-door hatchback
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Engine: Petrol engine; Petrol: ; 0.7 L Daihatsu E-series engine#EF; Daihatsu EF-CL SOHC Straight-three engine; I3 ; 0.8 L Daihatsu E-series engine#ED; Daihatsu ED-10 SOHC I3 ; 0.8 L Daihatsu E-series engine#ED; Daihatsu ED-DE DO
Transmission: 4-speed manual; 5-speed manual; 3-speed automatic
Assembly: Malaysia: Rawang, Selangor; Indonesia: Sunter, North Jakarta (ADM, Ceria)
Manufacturer: Perodua