For 48 years long, there wasn’t an award programme to recognise exceptional performers in the ASEAN region. That is, until now.
Twenty-two motoring journalists from three countries – Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand – formed the judging panel. Each judge will then submit their list of nominations and scores for tabulation (download the full list and breakdown here). To be crowned the regional champion, the top three finalists (also winners of their respective categories) must first be sold in the three participating countries during or before the judging phase. They will then have their scores combined.
After this lengthy and meticulous procedure, the Porsche Macan (launched in Malaysia in late 2014) emerged as ASEAN’s Overall Car of the Year 2015 with a score of 254.79 points. The Mazda2 settled for second place, scoring 232.61 points ahead of second runner up, the Nissan X-Trail with 228.02 points accumulated.
As for Malaysia, 22 cars were named winners of their respective categories after beating other finalists (click here to see the list of finalists). Without further ado, here are the winners:
Category | Make, Model | Score (maximum 100 points) |
Budget Car of the Year | Kia Picanto | 69.54 points |
Compact Car of the Year | Mazda2 Skyactiv | 78.48 points |
Family Car of the Year | Mazda3 Skyactiv | 78.39 points |
Executive Car of the Year | Honda Accord | 78.51 points |
Family MPV of the Year | Mazda Biante | 69.00 points |
Premium MPV of the Year | Honda Odyssey | 73.91 points |
Crossover of the Year | Honda HR-V | 78.41 points |
Compact SUV of the Year | Mazda CX-5 | 77.18 points |
Family SUV of the Year | Nissan X-Trail | 72.56 points |
Pickup Truck of the Year | Ford Ranger | 71.78 points |
Coupe of the Year | BMW 2-Series | 73.41 points |
Premium Compact Car of the Year | Volvo V40 | 75.58 points |
Premium Family Car of the Year | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 79.43 points |
Premium Executive Car of the Year | BMW 5-Series | 77.55 points |
Premium Flagship of the Year | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 81.56 points |
Premium Compact SUV of the Year | Land Rover Range Rover Evoque | 74.78 points |
Premium Mid-size SUV of the Year | Porsche Macan | 79.73 points |
Premium SUV of the Year | Porsche Cayenne | 76.45 points |
Premium Coupe of the Year | Audi TT | 75.44 points |
Performance Car of the Year | Mercedes-AMG GT | 77.18 points |
Grand Tourer of the Year | Porsche Panamera | 76.47 points |
Driver’s Car of the Year | Volkswagen Golf R | 77.81 points |
Speaking at the awards presentation ceremony at the View Rooftop Bar @ GTower, Kuala Lumpur, 2015 ASEAN COTY Secretary Mr. 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 programme. This, we believe, will help car manufacturers address the increasingly demanding needs of customers within the ASEAN region.”
Is your car one of the many winners this year? Share with us your personal thoughts of this list! Also, to view in full detail the scoring mechanism, head on to www.caroftheyear.asia/results to see how each finalist fared towards the end.