Sayonara, Toyota Passo! Myvi's Japanese donor car to be discontinued
CY Foong · Mar 27, 2023 05:15 PM
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A darling in Malaysia, the Perodua Myviâs existence wouldnât have happened if it wasnât for its Japanese donor, the Toyota Passo/Daihatsu Boon. While the Myvi successfully captured the hearts and minds of Malaysians for 18 years and will soldier on, the fate of its Japanese relatives seems to be reaching an end.
According to a report by Web CarTop, sales of the Toyota Passo have been slipping in Japan with most buyers instead going for the Toyota Yaris. Toyotaâs Japanese website posted the status of shipment for its models and the site asked prospective Passo buyers to âcontact their dealerâ for more information on its delivery situation.
So, the Japanese publication asked a few Toyota dealers and their response was that the available number of units of the Passo was limited but they were also informed that sales will end once those units are fulfilled.
When asked if the Passo is discontinued, the dealers didnât reply explicitly to the question but it was remarked that itâs âvirtually impossibleâ to get a brand-new Passo.
Toyota lists 54 models on its Japanese website and the company is also the best-selling brand in the country. That line-up was already shortened from before when Toyota had 4 sales channels, each selling a few models exclusive to those dealers.
Still, it is a huge number and not every Toyota model sold well in the country like the Camry. A few of those models are OEM rebadges particularly from Daihatsu. Aside from the Passo which is still sold in Japan as the Daihatsu Boon, other Daihatsu-based models include the Toyota Roomy (Daihatsu Thor), Toyota Raize (Daihatsu Rocky), the Toyota Copen, and the Toyota Pixis series of kei cars (Daihatsu Mira e:S, Cast, Hijet).
Aside from the Raize and Roomy, the other Toyota-badged Daihatsu models didn't sell as well. After Toyota consolidated its sales channels under one dealer network, the Passoâs sales began to slip as the Yaris became more favourable.
The TNGA-based Toyota Yaris is Japanâs best-selling non-kei car of 2021 which has eaten into the Passoâs sales. The Passo was targeted more towards female buyers with various accessories and trims designed to appease them.
Yet, the cutesy looks did very little favour and it seems that the Passo wonât be likely to soldier on. Itâs uncertain for now if a similar fate is in store for its Daihatsu twin which suffered from poorer sales. The Passo was ranked as the 19th best-selling car in Japan in 2022 which all things considered, could be worse. The Boon wasn't even in the top 50.
Perhaps a DNGA-based successor might be planned but with Daihatsu faring better with its kei car line-up, maybe the end of the model that paved the way for the Perodua Myvi is looming on the horizon. Then again, Malaysia's favourite highway "supercar" is completely different to the current Passo/Boon. After nearly 20 years and 3 generations, perhaps the Passo/Boon's time is up.
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.
