Should The Perodua Axia D74A Get A Sporty ‘Hot Hatch’ Version?

Renowned Malaysian automotive render artist Chin Swee Hoe, better known as Theophilus Chin / Theottle, is at it again. Having given us a glimpse of how the booted Bezza and crossover-like Style reduxes of the D74A-gen Perodua Axia twin could look like prior, he’s now given a sporty ‘performance’ twist to said supermini in his latest work.

L-R: The Toyota Agya GR-Sport and the Toyota GR Corolla.

Chin's latest render based off the new D74A-gen Axia inspired by both the Agya GR-Sport and GR Corolla hot hatch.

Much of this latest render sees Chin taking inspiration from the Axia D74A’s Toyota-badged Agya twin, which just launched in Indonesia with a sporty GR-Sport range-topper. Typically, Toyota’s GR-Sport treatment isn’t just limited to aesthetics as it adds sports suspension and sports steering tuning to match too, thus making said Toyota-badged twin appear very tasty.

Note the triple-exhaust, beefier brakes, and sporty wheels added by Chin inspired by the GR Corolla.

Besides that, Chin also took heavy inspiration from the new GR Corolla hot hatch that just launched locally not too long ago. This is very evident with both the front and rear fascias, as well as the wheels and matching beefed up brakes added. Aptly, Chin’s imaginative redux has got us wondering – should Perodua consider making a ‘hotter’ version of the Axia?

Unfortunately, this may be a pipe dream still. The fact that the made-for-Malaysia Axia iteration of the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) model range did not receive the larger 1.2-litre 3-cyl powertrain seen in both the Daihatsu/Toyota twins is perhaps a telling sign of which.

Let’s also not forget Perodua’s history – or near lack thereof – with performance cars.

Perodua Myvi GT Concept shown during KLIMS 2018 (Image source: Mekanika.my).

Rewind the clock back to Nov 2018 where the national car brand showcased a one-off Perodua Myvi GT concept based on the then new (pre-facelift) third-gen Myvi hatch. Stock powertrain aside, this concept had all the sporty chops to almost warrant the title of ‘hot-hatch’ indeed.

Perodua Myvi GT Concept from 2018 (image source: Perodua).

It included lowered sports suspension, sporty 17-inch alloy wheels shod in (presumably) sticky performance tyres, beefy Brembo brakes front and aft, a sporty exterior aerokit with matching racy graphics in red and black, as well as twin tailpipes. On board, the concept even boasted Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and sporty bucket seats, sporty red cabin accents, as well as a sunroof.

Sadly, though an actual concept was built and shown during the KL International Motor Show 2018 (KLIMS 2018), Perodua never pushed the Myvi GT concept into production. However, given the stellar reception the D74A Axia is garnering of late, perhaps the national carmaker could reconsider, provided there’s enough demand. 

Would you fancy one if it happened?

Chin had previously rendered how the next-gen Axia D74A-based Bezza sedan could look like.

Chin also gave us his take on how a crossover SUV-esque 'Style' iteration of the Axia ought to look like.