2020 has been a rather a woozy year for everyone. Whether it's related to cars or even anything else, the only words that come to mind is either "delayed" or "cancelled". Despite the calamities, we were lucky enough to attend a few launches before the quarantine and between the government-mandated Movement Control Order (MCO). However, we've compiled five cars to highlight some of the best cars to be launched this year, in no particular order.
Here's one of the cars that has been highly anticipated throughout the year. A homologation special, the GR Yaris boasts a short wheel base with a 1.6-litre turbocharged three cylinder engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Producing 261 hp and 360 Nm of torque, it's capable of launching the GR Yaris from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds, and on to an electronically limited top speed of 230 km/h.
photos courtesy of Toyota Malaysia
Unfortunately due to MCO, the GR Yaris was launched virtually on Toyota Malaysia's Facebook page. With less than 200 units up for grabs, it is safe to say that there'll be a few units that'll dare to be different from others. In case you're wondering, the GR Yaris is priced at RM299,000 inclusive of the Performance Pack.
Italy's Prancing Horse is notably the most famous car manufacturer... in the world. However, Ferrari has never been the type of brand that will pioneer a technology. They're the type of company that will look at what the competitors are doing, and then just make the best possible version of it. Hence, their first Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) featuring a V8 Twin-Turbo engine and 3 electric motors.
Designed to pave way for the future of the brand in the coming decades, the “SF90”, is a polar bear-friendly 1000 hp supercar. The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is available from the base price of RM 1,908,000.00 (before duties, customization options, taxes and insurance). They're also making a Spider version of the SF90 if you wanna get some wind in your hair, however that hasn't been launched in Malaysia yet.
McLaren has come a long way since the days of naming cars after a fax machine, like the MP4-12C. Their latest track weapon is called the McLaren 765LT and yes, it has exactly 755 hp. Jokes aside, the 765LT is a more refined and pumped up version of the 720S, which is already an amazing machine to begin with. This is also the third car to received the honor of the "LT" moniker after the 675LT and 600LT.
The 765LT has the performance figures thanks to some engine parts lifted from the Senna like the forged aluminium pistons, a three-layer head gasket and the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Allowing it to sprint from 0-100km/h in an eye-blinking 2.8 seconds. The price for all this madness, RM1.5 million without taxes and the optional extras. All 10 allocated units of the 765 built have been sold anyway.
The Mercedes AMG A45 needs no introduction. The hot hatch has more power than most JDM legends from the 90s. It is as if corporate asked the engineers how much horsepower do they want for the hatch and all the engineer responded was "Yes". Power? 420 hp. Torque? 500 Nm. 0-100km/h? 3.9 seconds. Everything you would ever want and need in a pocket rocket.
The major difference between the previous generation A 45 and the new A 45 S goes beyond the badge. For starters, the chassis and handling has been improved. It's more comfortable and balanced as compared to the predecessor. More power too. Though, the pocket rocket does come at a price. RM459,888.00 for this Edition 1 spec to be exact. A lot of money for a lot of car in a small package.
Proton X50 Flagship
And we've saved the best for last but you'd probably guessed it anyway. We'd be lying if we said the Proton X50 didn't impress us. It's possibly the most hyped car in Malaysia over the past few years. But can you blame them? The market was begging for a small crossover that looks good, relatively affordable and powerful. And Proton delivered. 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder with 175 hp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a 7-speed DCT.
First of all, yes they call their flagship, the Flagship. Secondly, the 3-cylinder has quad exhausts, a bit too much in my opinion. Otherwise, I find the car really cool, especially for a Proton. With all the tech and gizmos, Proton hit it out of the park with the X50! The price starts at RM79,200 for the Standard and goes all the way to RM103,300 for the Flagship. Looking for a new crossover? This might be the one for you.
If you enjoyed the summarized version of the writeup, click on the title of the car to read the full comprehensive write up on each car.
Written by | Danial Malek
