Our most popular Instagram posts in 2023

1 & 2. Not surprisingly, the most popular posts on our Instagram page were of the Proton S70 caught while being filmed in Portugal by Proton’s PR team. It was about a month before launch and while it was known to be internally designated as ‘SS11’, many speculated that it would be badged as ‘S50’. [IG post]

3. Using the ID.7 flagship as a basis, Volkswagen’s designers looked further ahead at a possible all-electric sports limousine in the upper mid-sized class. The concept model was called the ID.X Performance and shown at a special event in Switzerland in September. [IG post]

4. Reflecting growing interest in EVs in Malaysia, the fourth most popular post was of a video of the Sime Darby Beyond Auto team receiving the 2023 Malaysia Car of the Year award for the BYD Dolphin being voted as the winner in the EV category. [IG post]

5. The Toyota Land Cruiser was a popular SUV of the ‘traditional’ generation but faded away from the Malaysian market during the 2000s as its price rose higher. Furthermore, there was a new generation of smaller SUVs that were more popular and for those who wanted workhorses, pick-up trucks were just as capable. The last version sold in Malaysia was the Prado and news of a new generation certainly attracted interest to make our post in August the fifth most popular. [IG post]

6. Although stationwagons are hardly sold in Malaysia, it doesn’t mean they are not appreciated. There are people who like them but unfortunately, the potential demand is deemed to small for distributors to import and support. Besides, SUVs also offer the versatility if cargo-hauling is needed. The Passat in its ninth generation will only be available as a stationwagon. [ID post]

7. There are vans and there’s the Ford Supervan. The Ford SuperVan series (not for sale) started in 1971 and has reached the fourth generation. This generation is very different from its predecessors as it is electrically powered and 3 electric motors produce up to 1,400 ps. Ford Performance prepared it for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb this year where driver Romain Dumas set two records. [IG Post]

8. Volkswagen was the originator of the ‘GTI’ badge with a powerful variant of the first Golf in 1974. While those three letters have been used by other carmakers (including Proton) for their high-performance models, ‘GTI’ is still largely associated with the Golf. The next generation is likely to be fully electric and Volkswagen has shown an ID. GTI concept which indicates that the iconic badge will still be around in the electric era. [IG Post]

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