Malaysians and Indonesians could be expecting the arrival of the Perodua D55L and Daihatsu Rocky/Toyota Raize respectively in 2021. However, apart from getting Daihatsu Connect, the Indo-spec Rocky/Raize might also gain a manual transmission.

According to Otodriver, the Indo-spec Rocky/Raize would be offered with two transmissions, a 6-speed manual transmission and a CVT automatic. Recall that the Japanese Rocky/Raize only comes with a CVT automatic, so Indonesia could be the very first market to introduce a manual transmission on the SUV.

The SUV is available with front-wheel drive (2WD) and 4WD in Japan but the same source also revealed that only the 2WD will be offered in Indonesia.

The art of rowing your own gears is still in demand in the Indonesian market. That’s why a manual variant is needed for the Rocky/Raize to be successful in the archipelago.

Many models like the Daihatsu Xenia/Toyota Avanza and Daihatsu Terios/Toyota Rush are offered with a manual gearbox and it’s not just limited to base models either.

While the argument on the preservation of manual transmissions rages on, sadly there isn’t much demand here in Malaysia. The manual variants offered by Perodua for instance are on base models, which many Malaysians will forgo over.

Perodua skipped the transmission entirely on the Aruz and the Myvi 1.5-litre variants. So, it’s very unlikely for the Perodua D55L to even offer a base model with a manual transmission.

Powering the D55L/Rocky/Raize is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged 1KR-VET with an output of 98 PS and 140 Nm. It’s a turbocharged version that is used on the Perodua Axia.

While the Indonesian-spec Rocky/Raize is expected to be launched in May 2021, Malaysia could see the Perodua D55L to be launched in March. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the local launch could be pushed back.