The results are out for the Malaysia Automotive Institute’s (MAI) Malaysia Car of the Year 2018, with Peugeot, Mazda, Perodua, Ford, Toyota, Kia, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen winning awards in various categories. Winners of the awards were assessed based on five criteria’s: exterior, interior design, technical specifications, engineering innovations, safety features, energy efficiency, environmental friendliness and best overall value for money. The winners were picked from a panel of nine judges from various industries including automotive experts, motoring editors and business journalists through a thorough evaluation process.
Held at The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur, the awards ceremony was attended by Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the First Lady, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Ignatius Darrell Leiking, and MAI CEO Dato Madani Sahari.
Car of the Year Award
Peugeot’s 3008 SUV won the prestigious top prize this year, together with the Compact Crossover of the year. Having received over 60 international awards and accolades as the innovatively modern SUV in its class, the 3008 features the brand’s futuristic i-Cockpit digital instrument display and cutting edge design. “Thanks to its inspired styling, comfort and advanced safety features complemented with the intuitive technology of the Peugeot i-Cockpit, the Peugeot 3008 SUV remains an outstanding choice in the SUV segment and most definitely a highly sought-after one in the market,” said Dato Samson Anand George, Group CEO Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings.
Entry Level Car of the Year
The latest Perodua’s Myvi 1.5 was the winner for this award. “Since its launch in November 2017, nearly 85,000 units of the Myvi has been sold in Malaysia, out of over 138,000 bookings to date. We thank all Malaysians for your steadfast and overwhelming support for our Myvi. We are glad and humbled that we succeeded in offering Malaysians a car that you truly want and love, and will take this as motivation for us to serve you even better,” Perodua CEO Datuk Dr Aminar Rashid Salleh said.
Mid-Size Crossover of the Year
Mazda’s CX-5 2.2 GLS SkyActiv-D won this category award, together with the Most Exported Model award. The CX-5 has received more than one hundred awards to date, with globally acclaimed awards including Japan Car of the Year 2012/2013, 2016 Asean Car of the Year, 2017 and 2018 IIHS Top Safety Pick amongst others.
Pick-up Truck of the Year
It is no surprise that Ford’s Ranger WildTrak has won this award. The Ranger is the brand’s best-selling nameplate in Malaysia, and also one of the best-selling pickups in the market. The robust truck has a 3,500 kg towing ability, class-leading water-wading capability of up to 800 mm and good payload capacity matched with levels of refinement in the segment. “We are honoured that the Ranger has received yet another prestigious endorsement. With its unmatched versatility, comfort, and advanced technology and features, Ford Ranger has proven itself in the toughest and smartest truck that consumers can count on to help them achieve more, whether at work of with their families,” said Syed Ahmad Muzri, MD of Sime Darby Auto Connexion.
List of Car of the Year 2018 Winners
- Entry Level Car of the Year – Perodua Myvi 1.5
- Hot Hatch of the Year – Volkswagen Golf 2.0 GTi Mk7.5
- Pick-up Truck of the Year (Twin Cab) – Ford Ranger 2.2 WildTrak
- Compact Crossover of the Year – Peugeot 3008 1.6 Active
- Mid-size Crossover of the Year – Mazda CX-5 2.2 GLS SkyActiv-D 2WD
- Premium Crossover of the Year – Mercedes-Benz GLC 200
- MPV of the Year (Below RM 200,000) – Kia Grand Carnival 2.2D SX
- MPV of the Year (Above RM 200,000) – Toyota Alphard 3.5
- Entry Level SUV of the Year – Subaru XV 2.0i-P AWD
- Mid-size SUV of the Year – Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 AWD
- Mid-size premium SUV of the Year – Volvo XC60 T8 Inscription
- Premium SUV of the Year – Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC43
- Executive Sedan of the Year – Mercedes-Benz C 200 AMG
- Premium Executive Sedan of the Year (Above RM 300,000) – Mercedes-Benz AMG C43
- Limousine of the Year – Mercedes-Benz S 450 L AMG Line
- Best-selling Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle brand – BMW
- Best-selling Hybrid brand – Honda
- Top Export brand – Mazda
- Car of the Year – Peugeot 3008 1.6 Active
MAI also took the opportunity to recognise its first recipient of the COTY Lifetime Automotive Award, Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “The father of the nation’s automotive industry has undoubtedly changed the landscape of the Malaysian economy from its commodities based roots into a flourishing Asian Tiger. The core of his industrial vision for Malaysia was the creation of the nation’s automotive industry, seen through the establishment of the Heavy Industries Corporation of Malaysia (HICOM) in the early 1980s – creating the numerous automotive ventures seen throughout the industry supply chain, still going strong four decades later.”
“The vision of Tun Mahathir has created an unmistakable technological critical mass within the overall Malaysian economy, standing proud today with more than 700 automotive parts and components manufacturers, distributors and dealers, as well as 700,000 strong Malaysian workforce directly contributing to the nation’s industrialisation agenda,” MAI said.
Note: As of 5th December 2018, the Malaysian Automotive Institute (MAI) has been renamed to the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii).
What do you think? Are you satisfied with the results?
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