MPVs have been around since the late 1980s and while they used to be simple people-carriers with the comforts of a passenger car, they have evolved further to attract buyers in the premium segment as well. Even government officials now use premium MPVs as official transport since they not only offer more comfortable space but also as mobile offices.
There are many choices in the MPV segment today, from the Perodua Alza and Mitsubishi XPANDER to high-end models that are epitomised by the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire. You will even find luxury MPVs from Mercedes-Benz and Lexus and who knows, even Rolls-Royce might one day offer such a vehicle seeing that they ventured into SUVs.
In conjunction with Mobility Media’s Malaysian Car of the Year 2025 (MCOTY 2025) event, which is in its 21st edition this year, members of the public are being invited to vote for their favourite model at the MPV Roadshow. The model that receives the most votes collected at the event now on in 1Utama (New Wing) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, will be the Rakyat’s Choice for MPVs.
Latest premium MPVs
The event, which will be on from November 12 – 16, is at the Oval Concourse of the shopping centre and has a display of the latest premium models – BYD M6, DENZA D9, GAC M8, Hyundai Staria, XPENG X9 and ZEEKR OO9.
These are the candidates that the public can vote for by scanning a QR code at the event venue and submitting their votes online using the official form. Eligible voters have to be Malaysian residents and no less than 18 years old. No purchase is required to vote.
Lucky draw
During the event period, each of the votes collected will be entered in a lucky draw for that day and prizes will be given to lucky winners. The winning MPV, as determined by the largest number of votes, will be announced at the Malaysia Car of the Year 2025 presentation ceremony in January 2026.
Besides the MPVs mentioned, which the public can check out, there are also the popular Toyota Alphard and Nissan Serena. The event’s partners – Carsome, Bank Rakyat, Motor Takaful and 70mai – also have stands at the venue to provide information and services for vehicle purchases. 70mai is, of course, well known for its dashcams and has the latest models on display.
Malaysia Car of the Year 2025
The Rakyat’s MPV Choice complements the Malaysia Car of the Year ‘People’s Choice’ which will also be chosen by the public through a voting process (to be announced soon). The judges of the MCOTY, which is supported by MARii (Malaysia Automotive Robotics and IoT Institute, an agency under MITI), are now in the final stages of scoring which will determine the winners of the numerous categories from the largest number of candidates in the event’s history.
Short history of MPVs
MPVs originally began as window vans in the 1980s, and in Malaysia, UMW Toyota Motor can take credit for having started the trend by turning a Toyota Liteace van into a people-carrier in 1985. Thereafter, other companies started to configure their window vans to carry passengers and added conveniences for comfort.
In America too, there was the emergence of the minivan as a new type of vehicle by Chrysler which was a huge success for the company. Ford could have claimed credit for being the first with a minivan concept but its management didn’t go for the idea and ignored the proposal by its product planners. When Lee Iacocca was sacked by Henry Ford and went to Chrysler, he brought over the man who had come up with the minivan idea and put it into production.
The minivan met with a positive reception when it was launched in 1983 because it had the benefits of a van and yet was as easy to drive as a sedan. These aspects also applied to the MPV that was slowly evolving from window vans in other countries.
However, the term ‘MPV’ – which stands for Multi Purpose Vehicle – was probably first used by Mazda which introduced a model called the MPV in 1988. The term was slowly adopted by the industry for comfortable vans that drove like passenger cars and had flexibility for people and cargo.
Over time, MPVs began to grow in popularity as they were could carry people and cargo, and yet fit into standard parking bays. No special licence was needed since they were not commercial vehicles, and the extra seats were appreciated by those with large families or extended families. Instead of having to own two cars, one MPV is enough for transport needs of the household.
MPVs also began to appear in the upper segments, with models from Japanese automakers like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and even Mercedes-Benz. The Koreans too offer premium MPVs and in recent years, we’ve seen Chinese automakers coming into the market with hybrid and fully electric MPVs that are impressing with their premium appointments.
Visit Mobility Media for more news on the Malaysia Car of the Year 2025.
