The Perodua Ativa finally makes it to the top as Malaysia’s best-selling SUV for the month of July 2023, toppling the reigning king, the Proton X50. However, the Ativa has been on sale for 2 years now and as such, it is ripe for a new update.
Perhaps there might be a new face as we’ve seen on the updated Myvi and Bezza as well as new features. P2 however is very secretive when it comes to new updates for their models which usually come 2-3 years after launch.
The Daihatsu Rocky recently spied bore the same trade plates as this Ativa Hybrid (Photo credit: Muhammad Nabil)
Still, a Facebook user named Hassanal Zafar made quite a discovery when he uploaded a photo of a Daihatsu Rocky in Dengkil wearing trade plates. The Rocky is the donor to the Ativa and aside from the introduction of a hybrid in Japan, it too hasn’t received any updates since its debut in late 2019.
Aside from the Daihatsu logo, what’s peculiar about this two-tone red and black example of the Rocky is a radar just below the badge in front as well as a new ADAS camera. Could this be a clue to one of the features the updated Ativa/Rocky could be receiving?
Even in Japan, the Rocky/Raize doesn't come with stop-and-go aside from the hybrid variant
It’s still too soon to say as the Rocky might just be a development mule to test the new ADAS suite and the updated entry-level SUV might not be arriving so soon. Yet, there is still a reason to get excited over the updated ADAS suite as the radar might be a clue that an upcoming Perodua/Daihatsu model might receive the stop-and-go function for the adaptive cruise control (ACC) for non-hybrid variants.
It's worth adding that the current Ativa/Rocky/Raize trio does not come with radar to operate its ADAS suite and is only aided via cameras.
Ativa's current camera layout shown
Currently, the Perodua Ativa is chock full of advanced safety features with ASA being standard across the range. Only the top-of-the-range AV variant receives the full Perodua Smart Drive Assist (PSDA) ADAS suite which comprises:
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
