Plans from car manufacturers to launch new models have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and MCO, and some are pushed back to 2021. So here are the cars that will likely arrive within this year after the MCO has been lifted.

2020 Honda BR-V facelift

Order books for the Honda BR-V facelift has been opened before the enforcement of the MCO. Honda Malaysia says they will BRB with the BR-V.

This facelift exercise is mostly cosmetic, with new front grille and bumpers, new 16-inch wheels, and a shark fin antenna. All variants now get keyless entry and push start button.

Changes on the inside are even more subtle, with some red highlights on the seats and black trim cover on the B and C-pillars.

The 1.5-litre engine paired to a CVT soldiers on. To recap, it makes 120 PS and 145 Nm of torque.

2020 Mitsubishi Xpander

Confirmed last year, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia will be launching the Xpander this sometime this year. The Mitsubishi Xpander is a huge hit in Indonesia where 7-seater MPV/SUV takes up a large portion of the market share.

Powering the Xpander is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine that sends 105 PS/141 Nm to the front wheels via a 4-speed automatic.

When it goes on sale, it will be going head to head against the Perodua Aruz and Honda BR-V.

2020 Perodua D55L SUV

The global car buying trend is shifting towards SUV, Malaysia is no exception. And what better way to capitalize this trend than to offer an entry level SUV?

The codenamed D55L SUV will be the first Perodua model to be underpinned by the new DNGA platform, a derivation of its parent company’s TNGA.

It is said to feature a 1.0-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder engine mated to a CVT. It makes 98 PS and 140 Nm of torque. It will likely feature Perodua's Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) suite of ADAS.

2020 Proton X50

Likely the most anticipated model in 2020, the Proton X50. Though Proton has been tight-lipped about this, neither confirming nor denying this info.

We’ve tested the Geely Binyue, which the purported Proton X50 is based on, and found that it is mostly impressive apart from a few issues.

The suspension is uncomfortably jarring, it’s fine on smooth roads but looking at how Malaysian roads are, it definitely needs Proton’s expertise on suspension tuning.

Other issues are relatively minor, the 3-cylinder engine could be a little more refined and a power operated boot will ease the heavy tailgate.

Rumour has it that the X50 could come with a 1.4-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which should solve the refinement issue.

The delayed launch of the Proton X70 CKD and MCO have affected Proton's schedule for the X50, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a 2020 launch. If Proton nails this, we are looking at another hit after the X70.