Top 10 most popular stories on paultan.org in 2015

Well, here’s a surprise then. It turns out that the most popular posts on paultan.org this year weren’t about any specific vehicle, but rather on topics close to motorists’ wallets, in this case fuel and GST.

According to Google Analytics data, our most popular post of the year was fuel-related, as in whether there was any significant difference in using RON 95 and RON 97 in terms of fuel economy. This was followed by our thesis on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and its impact on car prices, a couple of weeks before GST was introduced on April 1.

Honda again cropped up three times in this year’s top 10, as it did last year – proof of the popularity of the brand then? Here, the HR-V, 2016 Honda Civic and post-GST pricing of the local Honda model range were in the mix. The locally-assembled Mazda 3 also struck a chord with readers, as were renderings of the new Proton Perdana, which arrives in 2016. Plenty of interest too in another future hot cake, Perodua’s new sedan.

The final slots were occupied by posts on passenger safety and vehicle sales data for the month of April, which is when GST began. Here’s a recap of the top 10.

10. Myvi-Pajero Sport fatal incident shocks the nation – why ensuring passenger safety is important

A tragic tale, this. Back in May, the occupants of a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport – a couple and their infant – were killed when their SUV rolled over on the DUKE highway. Leaving the contention of how involved some Myvis – which were apparently racing – were in the accident well alone, we set out to remind drivers of why safety is so important with this post.

9. 2015 Mazda 3 CKD – specs, prices officially revealed

In March, full specifications and pricing of the CKD Mazda 3 were revealed ahead of its debut a month later – there was a lot of interest in what the locally-assembled 3 brought along for the ride, as the post’s ranking suggests.

8. 2016 Honda Civic patent images leaked online

The C-segment sedan market may be shrinking, cannibalised by the growing (quite figuratively) ultra-competitive B-segment and SUV brigades, but there’s always keen interest whenever the Civic name is brought up. Mind you, this was way ahead of the tenth-gen Honda Civic’s actual reveal, with only patent images to go by, but that was enough to get things stirring.

7. 2015 Honda HR-V launched in Malaysia, from RM100k

One of the most anticipated vehicles to debut in 2015 rolled in like a whirlwind, translating all that interest into tangible sales. By the transporter-loads. Early on, the wait time for one became ridiculously long, and though the fuss has eased up nearly 10 months on, the B-segment SUV is still a popular choice, and not just with buyers, as you’ll find out soon enough.

6. RENDERED: 2016 Proton Perdana looks handsome!

We already know the general shape of the national carmaker’s upcoming flagship D-segment sedan, what with no less than five spyshot posts this month alone, but nothing concrete visually as yet, given all that disguise. Thanks to rendering wizard Theophilus Chin, we all had an imaginative view of what the biggie will eventually look like when it arrives next year. Tune in then to see how much of the forecast was right.

5. GST: Honda Malaysia releases new prices – all CKD models cheaper, Odyssey pricier

Prices, schmices. There was a flurry of activity when GST kicked in on April 1, with revisions to local car prices coming thick and fast. Of the lot, the most popular one turned out the be Honda’s.

4. Malaysia vehicle sales data for April 2015 by brand

Again, number four was related to GST – its implementation had a noticeable impact on sales of passenger and commercial vehicles in the country, with sales dropping by over 30% compared to March. This post broke down all the specifics – sales performance by brand, actual numbers shifted. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

3. Perodua D63D sedan approved, out as soon as 2016

News emerged that Perodua’s sedan, codenamed the D63D, had been green-lighted for production and was at the prototype stage, and it was enough to create this hornet’s nest of a post. Anticipated to arrive sometime next year or 2017, imagine what will happen then.

2. GST and its impact on Malaysia’s automotive industry – will car prices go down come April 1?

We toiled over this one like never before, and never have we researched or queried a topic more (you should have seen the whiteboard – it looked like a theoretical physics discussion at one point). The seminal body of work, which set out to explore all the facets of GST from an automotive perspective, is one of our literary highlights of the year.

1. RON 95 vs RON 97 fuel test – which should you use?

“Should I use RON 95 or go for the more expensive RON 97 fuel?” We decided to wade into the debate by comparing the two fuel grades directly, head-to-head against each other. Interesting findings, and a captivating read, as it turned out.

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