The 2023 Malaysia Car of the Year awards was just concluded a couple of weeks ago as the year came to a conclusion, and the prestigious title of the Overall Car of the Year was bagged by none other than the Honda Civic RS e:HEV hybrid which beat another 120 cars in contention.
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. That being said, we can anticipate even greater advancements in the world of cars as we move towards this year’s edition of the awards.
Winners of the 19th Malaysia Car of the Year Awards:
- Sedan / Hatchback of the Year (Below RM110,000): Toyota Vios 1.5G
- Family Car of the Year: Honda Civic RS e:HEV Hybrid
- Executive Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line
- Crossover of the Year (Below RM200,000): Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
- Crossover of the Year (Above RM200,000): Mazda CX-8 2.2D 2WD
- Electric Vehicle of the Year (Below RM200,000): BYD Dolphin Premium Extended
- Electric Vehicle of the Year (Above RM200,000): Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric
- Hybrid Vehicle of the Year (Below RM250,000): Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
- Hybrid Vehicle of the Year (Above RM250,000): Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 Ultimate
- SUV of the Year (Below RM250,000): Kia Sorento 2.2 Diesel AWD
- SUV of the Year (Above RM250,000): Lexus RX 350 Luxury 2.4T
- Pickup Truck of the Year: Ford Ranger WildTrak 2.0 XLT Plus Double Cab 4×4
- MPV of the Year: Kia Carnival 11-seater 2.2D
- Overall Car of the Year: Honda Civic RS e:HEV Hybrid
- People’s Choice (Mass market): Perodua Axia E
- People’s Choice (Premium): BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport
- Honourable Mentions: Ford Ranger Raptor 3.0 Petrol Twin Turbo V6, Perodua Axia 1.0E Manual, Chery Omoda 5
- Charge Point Operator of the Year: Gentari
- Automotive Person of the Year: Ahmad Hadri Haris, for his key role in the team that drafted Malaysia’s Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint
