We all know that manual transmissions have fallen more and more out of fashion over the last decade.

But it seems even entry-level economy cars are also ditching their three pedals to optimize fuel economy.

Our Malaysian sister publication WapCar reported that the all-new 2023 Perodua Axia, which debuted on February 14, 2023, will not come with a manual transmission.

The Axia is the Malaysian sibling of the recently launched, next-generation Toyota Agya, which is also known as the Toyota Wigo in the Philippines.

Instead, all Axias with be equipped with a Dual-Mode continuously variable transmission (D-CVT). This is mated to a 1.2-liter, twin-cam, 12-valve inline-3 gasoline engine producing 88 PS and 113 Nm of torque.

The Axia’s D-CVT was co-developed with Daihatsu, which is owned by Toyota. Unlike most CVTs, it features a gear drive that takes over from the pulleys at higher speeds for maximum efficiency.

Meanwhile, Toyota has not yet confirmed if a manual variant will be offered on the all-new Agya, which debuted with only a CVT.

Old manual Axia lives on

However, Perodua announced that it will continue production of the previous-generation (read as old)  Axia with a 5-speed manual gearbox. 

“We continue to produce the current Axia E (MT) to fulfill its role as the most affordable car in the market,” the Malaysian carmaker said in its presentation. 

As of press time, the old Axia E MT costs RM 24,090 (around ₱303,000), while the next-generation Axia D-CVT starts at RM 38,600 (around ₱486,000).

This model is renowned for being a driving-school car in Malaysia. However, the Malaysian carmaker said the Axia E MT will largely cater to buyers from rural areas.

Perodua also hinted at upgrades for the previous-generation Axia.

Do you think the next-generation Toyota Wigo should still come with a manual transmission?

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