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Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on?

Eric · Oct 6, 2021 06:03 PM

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 01

Well what do we have here? It appears that the soon-to-be-launched Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart hybrid has been spotted in Malaysia.

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 02

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 03

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As seen in the Perodua Ativa中文交流区 (D55L) Facebook group, this particular Rocky was seen wearing minimal camouflage, covering only the emblems. The biggest clue as it being the Rocky e:Smart is the revamped front grille with honeycomb pattern. Look carefully and you'll also spot the 5-lug wheels, unique to the hybrid variant of the Rocky.

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 01

So what’s the soon-to-be-launched Rocky e:Smart doing in Malaysia? We believe that Daihatsu has requested their Malaysian counterpart Perodua to assist with adaptation work with tropical climate. It does not necessarily mean that Perodua will be launching a hybrid version of the Ativa.

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 02

The B3598A trade plate was fitted to a Daihatsu Thor a couple of years ago, used for powertrain and driving assistance evaluation

The B3598A trade plate belongs to Perodua, and has been fitted to other Daihatsu models in the past.

What’s new with the Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart?

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 03

The e:smart powertrain mates a newly-developed 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine (codenamed WA-VEX) to an electric motor. Judging by the engine code, the base engine could be plucked from the Indonesian-spec Rocky. It's called the WA-VE there, and it makes 88 PS and 107 Nm of torque.

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 04

Descriptions thus far point to it being a full-hybrid (series) system, which means it accelerates from standstill via electric power alone but the engine does not drive the wheels. Instead, the engine only serves as an on-board generator, similar to the Nissan e-Power hybrid system.

Also Read: All-new 2022 Nissan Serena to drop S-Hybrid, switching to e-Power-only engine

Ativa's hybrid twin Daihatsu Rocky e:Smart spotted in Malaysia, what’s going on? 05

As far as this e:Smart hybrid powertrain goes, there's still no word on power and fuel economy figures. However, Daihatsu says it can achieve 40% thermal efficiency.

Also Read: The Ativa's hybrid twin: Features of 2021 Daihatsu Rocky e:smart leaked before Nov launch

Daihatsu will launch the Rocky e:Smart in Japan in November, so stay tuned for that.

Photo credit: Alex Tung on Perodua Ativa中文交流区 (D55L)

Eric

Editor

Started from the IT industry but somehow managed to find his way into the automotive industry. If he’s not gaming, he’s constantly tinkering with his daily/weekend car.

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