Mazda6 is Car of the Year

Mazda roared
into the automotive limelight when
its Mazda6 2.5-litre won the New
Straits Times/Maybank Overall
Car of the Year 2008 award.

The Mazda6 also came out tops
in the Executive Car (below
RM200,000) category.

Mazda added another feather to
its cap when its roomy seven seater,

Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed
Mohamed Tahir, the managing director
of Proton Holdings Bhd, was
awarded the Automotive Man of
the Year 2008 Award in recognition
of his leadership in Proton and
turning around an ailing domestic
giant into a genuine global challenger.

The winners of the New Straits
Times/Maybank 2008 Awards
were announced at a gala dinner
in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, hosted
by the New Straits Times and
Maybank Bhd.

The guest-of-honour for the
night was Second Finance Minister
Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

Also present was Datuk Aishah
Ahmad, president of the Automotive
Association of Malaysia.

The judging panel, comprising
12 senior Malaysian motoring
journalists, unanimously agreed
to award the coveted prize to Mazda6 for having a next to perfect
balance between performance
and comfort, two factors demanded
by executive car buyers.

This year also saw the addition
of five Special Mention Awards.

The winner of the Safety Award
is the Jaguar XF, also the top
choice in the Premium Executive
Car (above RM200,000) category.

One of its primary winning
points is the pedestrian airbag that
sets new standards for automotive
safety.

The Innovation Award went to
Honda Civic Hybrid.

It is the first hybrid vehicle in the
market to spur a path towards a
more environment-friendly automotive
sector.

The Volvo C30 received the Good
Design Award for leaving a lasting
impression and emotional attachment,
while having all the sophistication
without the complications
to the end-user.

Malaysia's Top Selling Car 2006-2008 Award was won by Perodua
Myvi, which saw sales of 277,993
units since its launch in 2005.

Malaysia's Top Selling Non-national
Car 2005-2008 Award was
given to Toyota Avanza.

The Car of the Year Awards was
first organised in 2002 by Cars,
Bikes & Trucks, the motoring section
of the New Straits Times.

It serves to recognise the efforts
of all car manufacturers and serve
as a guide to car buyers. The event
is endorsed by the Malaysian Automotive
Association.