KUALA LUMPUR: 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. Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (fourth from left) presenting the Automotive Man of the Year award to Proton Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir (right) yesterday. With them are (from left) New Straits Times Press group editor-in-chief Datuk Hishamuddin Aun, NSTP chief executive officer Datuk Anthony Firdauz Bujang, Maybank CEO Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar and NSTP chairman Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan.  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, Mazda CX9, won the “Best in Class” in the Premium SUV category.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. (click here for more….)