Ever wondered if you could turn your Perodua Ativa into something more striking that suits its “fast” turbo performance? If you have around RM 134,000, you can turn your friendly-looking SUV into a gruff American cowboy.

That’s the estimated price of converting a Toyota Raize/Daihatsu Rocky/Subaru Rex/Perodua Ativa into an Alpine Star Havana in Japan. That’s right, this whole conversion which made its debut at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon costs JPY 3.98 million (~RM 134k) which includes the car.

If you’re wondering if this company has ties to a certain Japanese aftermarket stereo company, you’re right. Alpine Star is indeed the aftermarket sub-division of the Alpine in-car entertainment company.

Back to the Havana and its name is inspired by the capital of Cuba though it is interesting that Alpine Style went for a look that was never ever brought to the Caribbean country. Perhaps taking inspiration from the Mitsuoka Buddy is more appealing than some random 1950s fin-tailed Cadillac or a Russian Lada.

Also read: Mitsuoka gives Toyota RAV4 a retro American makeover

The Buddy itself takes inspiration from the boxy American SUVs from the 1980s like the Chevrolet K5 Blazer and it is based on the Toyota RAV4.

Also read: Think waiting for an X50 is long? This rebodied Toyota RAV4 has a 3-year waiting period!

As far as wacky conversions go, this is certainly the most striking for the Ativa/Raize/Rocky/Rex which see the front end completely revamped with a rectangular front chrome grille and there is a generous amount of the shiny palette all over.

Also read: What Daihatsu? Turn your Perodua Ativa into a Lamborghini Urus instead!

Chrome is applied on the front and rear bumpers, on the headlight and taillight surrounds, as well as on the wheels which now sport a moon chrome design that are wrapped with Toyo all-terrain tyres.

There are no Toyota/Daihatsu/Subaru badges to be found on this reworked homage and instead, the Havana badge and the Alpine Style script are found on the tailgate. Speaking of, there is a faux woodgrain pattern applied across the boot as another call-back to the old American SUVs and cars that have this style back in the day.

Also read: Here it is, a Subaru-badged Perodua Ativa is launched, Japan's forbidden fruit

Step inside and the Havana largely carries over the dashboard that’s found on the Toyota Raize with brand-new brown leather upholstery. Being a part of Alpine, some of its audio system products made their way inside which include a 9-inch infotainment unit, a 12-inch digital rearview mirror, and a set of speakers.

Like most aftermarket modifications, the Alpine Star Havana only has aesthetic changes as the powertrain remains the same. In Japan, the Raize it is based on is offered with a choice of three engines:

• 1.0-litre turbo 1KR-VET (98 PS/143 Nm)
• 1.2-litre NA WA-VE (87 PS/113 Nm)
• 1.2-litre WA-VEX petrol-hybrid (Engine: 82 PS/105 Nm, Electric motor: 106 PS/170 Nm)

Also read: Here's the explanation of why you can't buy the Perodua Ativa Hybrid

At nearly JPY 4 million, it’s quite a steep price to pay to cosplay transform a Raize into a Havana. The highest variant of the Raize is priced at JPY 2.34 million (~RM 79k) but if looking like a rooting-tooting American SUV is what you seek, maybe the Alpine Style Havana could be your easy rider.

Also read: Is bigger always better? Is the Perodua Ativa superior against the 2022 Perodua Myvi Facelift?