• Updated 2019 Perodua Axia now open for booking
• Base Axia E 1.0 (MT) doesn’t come with ABS
• Top-spec gets Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and ASA 2.0

Perodua recently announced that the public can now place a booking for the updated 2019 Perodua Axia with 6 different variants available. Prices have gone up slightly across the board to reflect the host of newly added improvements and features in the little hatchback.

One welcome addition is the newly added ESC for GXtra variants and up. This leaves the Alza the only model in Perodua’s line up to not be offered with ESC. Even more impressive is that the range-topping Axia AV (short for Advance) variant now comes with ASA 2.0 advanced driver assistance system that bundles Pre-Collision Warning, Pre-Collision Braking, Front Departure Alert and Pedal Misoperation Control.

However, this makes the lack of ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) on the entry-level Axia E 1.0 (MT) even more glaring. In this day and age, basic active safety features such as ABS should not be a luxury. Even the facelifted Proton Saga now gets ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) fitted as standard across all variants.

While Perodua expects the Axia E to take up a small amount of the sales volume (mostly driving schools), we believe that ABS with EBD (and to a certain extent ESC) should not be an option for new cars no matter how affordable it is.