Perodua look to boost sales in Mauritius

Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is strengthening its presence in the overseas market, with the launch of the new Myvi 1.3 litre model in Mauritius.

The move is expected to boost the national car maker's overall sales in
Mauritius by 67 per cent to 200 units in 2012. Managing Director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said the sales target of 120 units for this year had been exceeded and by the end of December, the figure is expected to reach 140 units.

"Mauritius, one of the world's famous tourist destinations, is an important
market for Perodua as the country offers an international platform to showcase our products.

"With this exposure, we are able to sample and subsequently understand the
world's perception towards our vehicles and brand," he told a media conference before the launch in the Mauritian capital here on Thursday night.

The new Perodua Myvi was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister of
Mauritius, Dr Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun. Since 1996, the Perodua distributor in Mauritius, Raouf Dusmohamud and Co Ltd has sold a total off 1,227 vehicles in the island nation, off the southeast coast of the African continent. The models range from the Kancil, Rusa, Kenari, Kelisa, Myvi and ViVA.

On Perodua's plan to export its vehicles to South Africa, Aminar said the
company was in the final stage of an evaluation on exports to the country.

"We are looking at the opportunities to actually export to other countries
as well. It has to be right-hand-drive countries, with similarities in terms of
the safety and emission standards," he said. He said Perodua would export 20,000 units by 2015 from an expected 8,000 this year.

Perodua exports under its Perodua brand to seven countries, namely, Sri
Lanka, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Brunei, Mauritius, Fiji and Nepal.

Meanwhile, Raouf Dusmohamud and Co Ltd managing director, Raouf Dusmohamud said of the first batch of 20 units brought in for the launch, 15 had been booked without any advertising.

"It is always a pleasure and matter of pride, to see that anywhere you go
on the island, you will always bump into a Perodua car which has been widely
been accepted by the Mauritian public.

"We can confidently say that the new Myvi is the best value for money in
the 1.3 litre market right now. It is allied with comfort, practicality,
reliability, economy, great looks, and eco friendliness," he added. -- Bernama