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Malaysia Car of the Year

Official Press Release 2023

MEDIA RELEASE

DATE: 13 DECEMBER 2023

HONDA CIVIC E-HEV RS HYBRID NAMED OVERALL 2023 MALAYSIA CAR OF THE YEAR

The 19th Malaysia Car of the Year (MCOTY) recently concluded, and the prestigious title of Overall Car of the Year was awarded to the Honda Civic e-HEV RS Hybrid

The annual program which serves as a platform for automotive enthusiasts and experts to recognize and celebrate the best new cars in Malaysia, unanimously picked the Honda Civic e-HEV RS Hybrid for its technology which eliminates power-robbing gearboxes, whether CVT or hydraulic, and for providing the best energy regeneration of all current hybrids in Malaysia.

With 121 new cars nominated for this year’s award, the competition was fierce and represented a diverse range of vehicles. The judging panel consisted of 10 esteemed automotive journalists and two professionals from the legal and medical fields.

These judges evaluated the cars based on several criteria, including design, technology, safety, and value for money. As a result of their analysis, the 121 nominated cars were divided into seven main categories, with 13 winners emerging as the best in their respective segments.

One interesting aspect of the MCOTY program is the People’s Choice award, which is determined through online polling using smartphone to implement one person one vote from a list of 25 cars nominated by the judges and a team from the Malaysia Automotive Robotics IoT Institute.

This year, the Perodua Axia E took home the People’s Choice award in the mass market category, while the BMW iX1 xDrive30 M-Sport EV won the hearts of the public in the premium market. The amazing thing is that Malaysians selected an EV in the premium market segment.

In addition to the winners, the judges also made Honourable Mentions of three outstanding cars that defied convention.

The Ford Ranger Raptor 3.0 V6 petrol twin turbo was acknowledged for its outstanding performance, being described as a supercar in pick-up guise.

The Perodua Axia 1.0 E (manual) received recognition for its affordability, with its price tag of RM22,000 making it one of the best value-for-money cars in the world. Despite criticism regarding its safety standards, the judges argued that the Axia E (Manual) is still much safer than motorcycles.

Third, the Chery Omoda 5 was commended for its warranty, as it was launched with an unprecedented 1 million km warranty for the first 3,000 buyers. This imaginative brand-building exercise caught the attention of the judging panel.

Looking forward to next year’s MCOTY program, it is noted that all the models launched but not yet available for public viewing or test drives by July 31, 2023, will automatically be nominated for next year’s COTY awards.

The 2023 MCOTY programme that resumes after three years of Covid19 disruption is marked by a sudden shift in the domestic car market. While there were less than 5 EVs for sale in 2019, there are 29 EVs launched this year.

There are almost 10 times the number of electrified cars this year, including the 13 hybrids and plug-in electric hybrids, bringing the total to 42 electrified cars launched this year.

As we eagerly await next year’s competition, we can anticipate even greater advancements in the world of cars.

Winners of the 19th Malaysia Car of the Year Awards

A          Sedan and Hatchback: At 33 vehicles, this was the largest category of the Malaysia Car of the Year nominees and to somewhat level the playing field, the panel of judges divided the category into three price brackets:

  1. < RM110,000 price bracket included 8 cars and the winner is the Toyota Vios 1.5G.
  2. <RM111,000 – RM249,000> also called the Family Car category included 10 cars and the winner is the Honda Civic e:HEV RS Hybrid.
  3. >RM250,000 aka Executive Car of the Year category of 13 models; award winner is the Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG-line.

 B          Crossover: At 30 models this category has fast risen through the years from no-where until it is now the 2nd largest genre in Malaysia’s car market. This is a keenly contested market with a clear leaning towards popular prices. There was a clear price break-point for the panel to decide where to divide the segment.

  1. <RM200,000: 19 models reside in this bracket and the champion is the Corolla Cross Hybrid which impresses with the way it provides friendly mobility and utility above all else.
  2. >RM200,000: 11 cars in this category and the champion is the Mazda CX-8 2.2D 2WD.

C          Electric Vehicles (EV): 29 models make 2023 the year in which EVs join the mainstream of the Malaysia automotive industry. Unfortunately, the judges would have no opportunity to test 3 of the world’s most popular EVs because the cars were launched but would only be delivered beyond the 28 July 2023 window. These will be nominated for next year’s COTY.

  1. <RM200,000: 9 models in this EV sub-category and the champion is the BYD Dolphin Premium Extended.
  2. >RM200,000: 20 cars in this category reflects that the market understandably still is dominated by affluent buyers. And the champion is the Volvo C40. This is an EV that has been designed free of the legacies of combustion. Just sitting in the driver’s seat switches on the car. It’s an easy to drive car which doesn’t try to impress with techy bling.

D          Hybrids: 13 models in this category including Plug-in battery electric hybrids (Phev)

  1. <RM 250,000: 7 models and the champion is the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid 1.8. The Toyota wins for its “command” driving position and its superior fuel consumption.
  2. >RM 250,000: 6 models in a keenly contested segment. And the champion is Volvo’s plug in hybrid, the Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 Ultimate.

E          SUV: 26 models

  1. <RM250k – 13 models and the winner is Kia Sorento 2.2 diesel AWD
  2. >RM250K – 13 models and the winner Lexus RX 350 Luxury 2.4 T

F          Trucks – 10 models in this category with 4 Ford models dominating it: and the winner is:

  1. Ford Ranger 2.0 XLT Plus Double Cab 4×4 WildTrak,

G          Multi Purpose Vehicle MPV: 7 models and the champion is:

  1. Kia Carnival 2.2D 11-seater. It was some of the judges’ favourite drive. “It’s big but easy to manoeuvre and fun to drive. It was one of the cars where there was no shortage of co-drivers wanting to take the wheel.”

 H          Overall Car of the Year: 120 vehicles launched between 1 January 2022 to 31 July 2023, and the champion is:

  1. Honda Civic e-HEV RS Hybrid: the judges loved its performance, fuel efficiency, and cool comfort of the battery powered air-conditioning when combustion engine is off.

 I           People’s Choice: on-line polling, with one vote per smartphone number. 

  1. Mass Market: The Perodua Axia E
  2. Premium market: BMW iX1 xDrive30 M-Sport EV

 J           Honourable Mentions: There were three cars of significance which the judges voted to acknowledge by way of Honourable Mentions:

  1. Performance: Ford Ranger Raptor 3.0 petrol twin-turbo V6. This truck is the real wolf in sheep’s clothing. Delivering more than 400hp and 580 Nm of torque, it’s a supercar in twin-cab guise. It’s also one of Ford Malaysia’s top selling twin-cab pick-up.
  2. Affordability: Perodua Axia 1.0 E (manual). At RM22,000, the Perodua Axia is the best value-for-money car, if not the cheapest car in the world. “As for the critics who say that it’s a “kosong” car with minimum safety standards, this car is far safer than any motorcycle. Ironically, the judges observed that many of the Axia E buyers pay in cash … the rich enjoy it more than the Rakyat that it was targeted for.
  3. Warranty: The Chery Omoda 5 was launched with a 1 million km warranty. While this was for only the first 3,000 buyers, the judges gave a thumbs-up to this brand-building promotion.

 K          Charge Point Operator of the Year:

  1. Gentari. This award is for its foresight and understanding about the difficulty faced by EV owners and instead of using its power and position to dominate, they brought together the biggest CPOs for users convenience. “Although the 600+ chargers are not all Gentari’s, at least they were humble enough to be inclusive to make the charging experience better, ie all the three operators offer their charging points using their own app or using Setel.

 L          Person of the Year:

  1. Ahmad Hadri Haris, for his key role in the team that drafted Malaysia’s Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint.

For more information, kindly contact or whatsapp Shuen at 017- 213 0123 or Yamin at 012 -300 1000.

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