Tan Chong Motor Holdings and Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Awarded at the New Straits Times – Maybank Car of the Year 2015

Tan Chong Motor Holdings Sdn Bhd (TCMH) was bestowed with a Special Mention Award as Malaysia’s Most ASEAN Integrated Automotive Company at the NST-Maybank Car of the Year 2015 Awards held recently in Subang.

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Yang Berhormat Senator Dato’ Lee Chee Leong was the guest-of-honour at the awards night, which was also attended by the industry players of the automotive sector in Malaysia.

The Nissan Serena S-Hybrid CKD beat the petrol-powered variant of last year’s winner, the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, to claim the “MPV of the Year” crown.

Both awards were received by Dato’ Dr. Ang Bon Beng, Executive Director of Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM), on behalf of ETCM and the Tan Chong Group.

“We are deeply honoured to be the first recipient of the Special Mention Award, and we see this as acknowledgment towards how Tan Chong has gone beyond it Malaysian roots to become a true Asean automotive company. These awards are recognition towards both our efforts with Nissan in providing value-for-money products with high level of quality, safety and performance to appeal to discerning Malaysian – and Asean drivers across all walks of life,” said Dato’ Dr Ang.

“The Tan Chong Group, the oldest family-owned Malaysian automotive company has translated its 58-years of existence into wisdom and deep-rooted relationships with its Japanese-French principal. Together with the sturdy shoulders of its young management team, this company has achieved the most in terms of expanding beyond Malaysia. It entered Vietnam’s market more than a decade ago and was recently awarded the Nissan automotive franchise for Myanmar,” said Mr Yamin Vong, chief judge and Editor if NST Cars, Bikes & Trucks.

“We would like to cite the Tan Chong Group for being Malaysia’s automotive company that is most engaged in Asean and also for being a model of symbiotic franchisee/principal relationship,” added Mr Vong.

The COTY 2015 winners were selected from 59 new or extensively face lifted models that were introduced to the local market between 31 October 2014 and 1 November 2015, and divided into 16 categories.

A panel of five judges, comprising motoring journalists and a former Petronas F1 powertrain engineer, test drove the nominated cars and over a series of meetings, voted on the best car for each category.

The New Straits Times-Maybank Car of the Year Awards is the country’s first motoring award, which was launched in 2002 by Cars, Bikes & Trucks, the motoring section of the New Sunday Times, as a platform to acknowledge the achievements of the automotive industry.