Joy is winning the top 3 CarSifu awards. The trio are (from left) Proton senior director of corporate strategy Yusri Yusof (X70), UMW Toyota Motor general manager of marketing Richi Lim (Camry) and Volvo Car Malaysia managing director Nalin Jain (XC40).

KUALA LUMPUR: The fourth edition of the CarSifu Editors’ Choice Awards saw national automaker Proton, Toyota and Volvo emerging as the big winners.

This year's awards saw a major change with the replacement of a single "Car of the Year" winner by three "Car of the Year" winners based on geographic origins (namely Local, Asian and Continental Car of the Year).

American brands are in the Continental sector for the purpose of these awards.



The Local Car of the Year was won by the Proton X70 Premium which also took the title of Best Large-size SUV/Crossover (2-Row seating).

Priced at RM123,800 without insurance, this top-grade Proton X70 impressed award judges with value, styling, and convenience features as well as high-tech safety features.

Proton also won three other awards with the Iriz Premium named as Best Compact Hatch (below RM70,000), the Saga Premium winning Best Compact Sedan (below RM70,000) and the Exora Premium winning the Best Family Ride (RM50,000 to RM100,000,3-Row Seating).




Meanwhile, the Asian Car of the Year went to the Toyota Camry 2.5V which also won Best Large-size Car.

Award judges were impressed by the eighth-generation Camry 2.5V which is priced not far from the RM200,000 mark and delivers outstandingly on luxury with an upmarket and roomy leather-clad interior, as well as tranquil and buttery smooth drive quality.

Toyota also won another award with the Yaris hatchback taking Best Compact Car (above RM70,000).



The Continental Car of the Year went to the Volvo XC40 T5 which also won Best Compact Luxury SUV/Crossover.

It is the Swedish brand's smallest sports utility vehicle and crafted with an appealing design, competent performance and high utility.

Volvo also won another award with the S90 T5 winning Best Mid-size Luxury Executive Car.



Held at Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday, the awards, organised by Star Media Group and StarCarSifu, honour outstanding cars for advancements and innovations in areas such as design, features and green technology.

Included in the judging criteria are key areas such as safety, performance, comfort, fuel economy, handling, styling as well as their individual “wow” factor.

READ MORE: 2019 CarSifu awards: Why cars won


Also present were heads and representatives of car companies, Malaysian Automotive Association president Datuk Aishah Ahmad, Toyo Tyre Sales and Marketing Malaysia president and managing director Tan Song Chye, Star Media Group group chief executive officer Andreas Vogiatzakis, chief business officer Lydia Wang and executive content officer Brian Martin.

Vogiatzakis said while car buyers are still mesmerised by looks and performance, factors such as efficiency, value and environmental concerns are becoming increasingly important.

"It is heartening to see automotive companies being able to anticipate and act on these changing consumer patterns," he said.



For the awards, a total of 61 vehicles representing 25 automotive brands, were nominated across 33 categories.

Nominated cars are those launched in Malaysia between Oct 1, last year and Aug 31.

The nominees are from diverse brands namely Aston Martin, BMW, Citroen, DS, Ferrari, Ford, Hyundai, Honda, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Perodua, Peugeot, Porsche, Proton, Renault, Subaru, Toyota and Volvo.

Carlsberg was the official beer sponsor at the CarSifu Editors' Choice Awards 2019, while the official tyre was represented by Toyo Tires and Silverstone.

Keywords