The first-ever ASEAN Car of the Year

While Europe can have a single Car of the Year (COTY) award that encompasses different countries, it is not easy to have one for the ASEAN region. The major markets have different tax policies that create different price structures which influence the value-for-money proposition for car-buyers. Furthermore, the characteristics of the market also differ; for example, MPVs are more popular in Indonesia while pick-up trucks are more popular in Thailand. In Malaysia, passenger cars – sedans, hatchbacks, etc – are more popular.

So it has been difficult for motoring media in different countries in ASEAN to collaborate and find one model to be the ASEAN Car of the Year (ACOTY). With its presence in various markets in the region, iCAR Asia made an attempt in 2015 and was able to bring together motoring journalists from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to choose the best models for that year.

It was not an easy task as the specifications, prices and features differed for some models, but the organisers were able to come up with a way to ‘commonise’ the models so that the judges could cast their votes. The scoring process also included evaluations of reliability/dependability, depreciation, running costs and aftersales/service satisfaction by companies such as Opal Auto Mart, Liberty Insurance and Shell Helix.

There were 22 categories in all, with 3 to 6 finalists per category. While each country has its own winners in each category, the models with the most points from all three countries was the one to be chosen as ASEAN Car of the Year, with two runners-up included as well.

The winner was the Porsche Macan, with the Mazda2 and Nissan X-Trail as first and second runners-up, respectively.

Speaking at the awards presentation ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur in December, ACOTY Secretary Bobby Ang said: “With ASEAN’s growing importance in the global automotive industry landscape, it is important to create a bridge of acknowledgement for this region in the form of an automotive awards program to translate market needs towards the effort of car makers operating in this region.”

The first Car of the Year in Malaysia?

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