After a six-year hiatus, the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS) returns for 2024, and swings its doors open today until 11 December 2024 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).
The show will feature around 70 exhibitors spread across 30,000 square feet and with so much to see, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 most interesting vehicles – aside the barrage of car launches – you’ll want to make a beeline for.
1. Honda eVTOL
When people get married, there’s a saying the bride should wear ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue’. Well Honda is stealing the limelight at KLIMS with ‘something four-wheeled, something two-wheeled, something electric, and something flying’.
Yes, the Honda eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) is equipped with eight rotors for take-off and landing, with two rotors for propulsion. While it flies on electricity, there’s a gas turbine hybrid power unit that serves as a generator to extend the range up to 400km. Just too bad it’s not the actual thing here, but a scale model still counts right?
2. Honda Prelude
Now onto something four-wheeled. Honda announced the revival of the Prelude nameplate and the Prelude Concept makes its first appearance outside of Japan right on our shores. The sporty coupe concept lacks much technical details but will be a hybrid and mark the return of an affordable sports car since the CR-Z was discontinued.
RELATED: Honda Prelude showcased at KLIMS 2024 – first appearance in Asia outside of Japan!
3. Honda Motocompacto
Here we have something 2-wheeled in the form of the Honda Motocompacto. In the 80s, Honda designed a 50cc folding scooter to fit in the Honda City’s boot. This is the modern take on it, with a seat and controls that fold away for easy carrying as a last mile solution. The battery provides up to 20km of range with a top speed of 24 km/h. You can’t buy it here, but you can test ride it at the Honda booth.
4. Honda e:N1
And finally something electric. Honda will have the electric HR-V on display, dubbed the e:N1. It should arrive in Malaysia in 2025. There’s a sole front motor with 204 hp and 310 Nm of torque with a 68.8 kWh battery delivering a 412km range. Using a 78 kW DC charger will see the battery go from 10-80% in 45 minutes.
RELATED: Honda Thailand begins local production of e:N1 EV – electric HR-V to launch next year
5. Perodua eMO-II Concept
Perodua’s second (proper) take on its first BEV will be the hottest thing at KLIMS 2024. The second version of the evolving prototype is meant to showcase its styling direction, including the cockpit. Details are scarce pending a launch later next year, but it should have a range between 400-410km from a CATL-sourced battery.
RELATED: Perodua eMO-II concept unveiled at KLIMS 2024 – functional prototype with CATL-sourced battery!
6. MG Cyberster
Here we have the most expensive Chinese car currently sold in Malaysia. SAIC Motor Malaysia has priced the Cyberster electric two-seater at RM319,900. For that money, you get dual electric motors delivering 544 hp and monstrous 725 Nm of torque. A 77kWh battery gives it a range of 444km. More importantly, it does the century sprint in 3.2 seconds and onto a top speed of 201 km/h, and comes with powered scissor doors for some Italian flair.
RELATED: MG Cyberster launched in Malaysia – EV Roadster with 544 hp, RM320k!
7. Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2
As the name suggests, the Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 is an upgraded version of the first-generation customer racing car. Since its launch in 2020, over 120 cars have been sold, racing their way to more than 500 GT4 podiums across 11 countries and winning the overall titles in Asia, the USA, and Europe.
Feedback from teams and drivers sees the upgraded EVO2 improve on braking, handling and engine performance. These advancements comprised re-tuning of the ABS maps, software updates for quicker downshifts with the engine given better cooling.
The 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six makes up to 660 Nm of torque, with horsepower depending on the category’s balance-of-performance (BoP) requirements. For reference’s sake, the previous version made 430 hp.
RELATED: The Toyota GR Supra Plasma Orange 100 Edition marks 100 units of the GR Supra GT4
8. Toyota Kayoibako
One of the retro throwbacks at KLIMS would be the versatile Toyota Kayoibako concept, perhaps an unintended but wholesome tribute to the nostalgic Toyota LiteAce. It weighs in smaller than the LiteAce but the massive wheelbase longer than the outgoing Hiace here brings plenty of versatility.
Even the ‘Kayoibako’ names is plucked from the Japanese term indicating configurable shipping containers. Toyota is serious about it as a blank canvas to address most mobility challenges, imagining applications as mobile stores or last-mile shuttles.
9. Toyota Land Cruiser SE
Toyota risked upsetting the Land Cruiser apostles with an electric Land Cruiser that will ditch the ladder-frame chassis for a monocoque body. However, this pagan worshipping will see a larger-than-life Land Cruiser that’s even bigger than the current Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport.
The Land Cruiser SE is a seven-seater, three-row EV SUV and will likely implement Toyota’s recent Gigacasting technology for a more rigid monocoque that will compensate for the lack of a durable ladder-frame.
RELATED: Not a Range Rover, this is the Toyota Land Cruiser Se at Japan Mobility Show 2023
10. Nissan Hyper Tourer
Remember when a concept vehicle truly resembled something beyond the ordinary? Well, the Nissan Hyper Tourer is in our opinion the most conceptual-looking concept car on the planet, perfectly embodying futurism, especially those pillarless front and rear sliding doors. Inside, you’ll find four seats facing each other, which would be a good configuration for Nissan execs to hold an emergency pow-wow on the move to save the company.
