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Guest-of-Honour Mr Jose Raymond, Executive Director of Singapore Environment Council, who officiated the send-off, said:

Motorsports

Flying Our Flag At The Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2013

IN Singapore, ITE, NTU, Ngee Ann polytechnic, Shell, Eco Marathon, Green, Sustainable, Energy

The future looks green as students from tertiary institutions compete for Eco-glory.

BP: So what kind of emotions did you experience inside the car as you finally set the record?
AG: As I came out of the measured mile, through the final timing lights, I knew that we had set the record. However, it’s not over at that point — I’m still travelling at 1,200 km/h and the car needs to stop safely. There’s also a small chance that the timing gear didn’t work — so no celebrations yet. Once the car has stopped, about 10 kilometres and 90 seconds later, the timings come through on the radio — our second run was supersonic and within the required one hour time window, and now we know we’ve done it, time to shut down the car, climb out, and join the celebrations — we’re the world champions!

Happenings

Sonic Boom!

IN Andy Green, BLOODHOUND project, Supersonic, Land speed record, Singapore Science Centre

Andy Green, the fastest man alive, tells us more about going supersonic at a recent meet at the Singapore Science Centre.

The EP200 and EP850 will be launched in September and December respectively. Sizing and prices will be announced closer to the launch dates.

Happenings

Can Black Be Green?

IN Bridgestone, Tyres, Thailand, Ecopia, Green, Test, Unveil

With Bridgestone poised to expand its range of Ecopia tyres, we head up to Thailand for a sneak preview at what these new rubbers have to offer.

New

Beetle Juiced | Volkswagen Beetle 1.4 TSI

IN Volkswagen, Beetle, 1.4 TSI, Supercharged, VGS

With some added power, the otherwise cute Volkswagen Beetle is now quite the road beast.

Aside from the ActiveHybrid badges, it's pretty much the same on the outside, what you get on a regular 3 Series sedan is what you'll find on the AH3. Our test car did come with some silver aluminum inserts and trimmings, the signature kidney grille for example, has its slats finished in silver instead of chrome. Another quick way to differentiate the AH3 from the regular 3 Series is to look at the wheels (provided they aren't spinning). The rotor-styled wheels are unique to the AH3, and along with its bigger brethren, the AH5 and AH7, complete the range of propeller-design wheels on the ActiveHybrid series.

New

Mean & Green | BMW ActiveHybrid 3

IN BMW, 3 Series, Performance Motors, Hybrid, Active Hybrid, 3

How do we save the world without any super powers? BMW has the answer. Packing 335 bhp and 450 Nm, the ActiveHybrid 3 is both mean and green!

But I have a feeling BMW is thinking more 'mean' than 'green' here. You see, manufacturers have also found that slapping a battery does produce a useful dose of extra power and torque for the car, which almost always ends up with them marketing the car as a bit of a performance car as well. Which has always been our slant here at Burnpavement.com anyway. Well, we're happy to say that the ActiveHybrid 7 is a rather enjoyable 'barge' to drive, BMWs in general tend to be.

New

Seventh Heaven? | BMW ActiveHybrid 7

IN BMW, 7 Series, Performance Motors, Hybrid, Active Hybrid, 740i

BMW's answer to Lexus' LS600hL is the ActiveHybrid 7, a large premium hybrid that offers both luxury and performance. From our time with the car, it seems to have succeeded in fulfilling both claims.

Happenings

Å koda Releases Official News Of The Latest Octavia

IN Skoda, Octavia, TSI

Bigger and roomier than everyone else in its class, the new Octavia is set to seal its place as the best-value continental choice.

When Lexus launched the first RX in 1998, the model created the Luxury Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment in the automotive industry. The RX offered the proposition of the first ever car that combines all the flexibility, practicality and durability of a SUV with the handling, performance, refinement and ride of a luxury sedan.

Happenings

New Range Of RX And GS Hybrid Added To Local Lexus Line Up

IN Lexus, RX, RX 270, RX 350, RX Hybrid, GS, GS Hybrid, Borneo Motors

Following the success of the GS model launched earlier, Lexus adds the genre favourite RX... and introduces a green GS.

Modified

Singapore's Best Suzuki Swift Sport | Entry Two (2)

IN Suzuki, Swift Sport, Singapore, Caltex, Competition, Champion Motors

Blue and green? One thing's for sure, this Swift Sport is a definite eye-catcher. Judging from our Facebook teaser shot, you guys like it too!

By now, you might be asking “is this pricier than a regular GTI?” Good news for you then, because you'll be getting an E35 if you order a GTI today — at no extra cost.

New

Happy Birthday Golf! | Volkswagen Golf GTI E35

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, E35, 2.0, TSI, Edition 35

The Edition 35 is Volkswagen’s way of celebrating 35 years of the evergreen Golf GTI. But is it the perfect anniversary present?

On the bright side however, diesel engines are able to use 100 per cent biodiesel as their fuel, unlike petrol engines, which can so far use a mix of 95 per cent fossil fuel and 5 per cent ethanol as an alternative. Biodiesel can be made from used cooking oil, palm oil, Jatropha oil, and in many research and development projects using algae. Recently in March, Neste Oil opened its largest biodiesel plant in Singapore. Capable of producing 800,000 tonnes of renewable fuel from palm oil, the plant was built on a budget of about S$970 million.

Happenings

Drivers Wanting To Go Green With Diesel Hampered By Special Tax

IN Diesel, Caltex, Techron D,

With the increasing awareness of the environment, comes the desire for consumers to conserve fuel as they drive.

Modified

Singapore's Best MINI | Entry Three (3)

IN Mini, Cooper, Countryman, Clubman, S, Singapore, Mini Habitat, Cooper S, Competition, JCW

This Racing Green Cooper S is packed with lots of JCW goodies and matched with some JDM bits to boot. Classic and Racy never went so well!

But can it handle as well as its elder sibling? With a chassis that is not as well-balanced as the Golf GTI's, the Polo GTI does seem a bit suspect in handling when we drove it through the twisty bits. The steering of the Polo GTI as compared to its lesser Polo siblings feels a lot more weighted, giving you decent feedback, but for a car with sporty aspirations, it does seem a bit lacking. Steering the car is easy, with the car responding to directional inputs in a perfunctory manner with nary a hint of enthusiasm. This lack of enthusiasm I am afraid is unbecoming of a hot hatch. Also, with the spirited swerving came the slight body roll which can be a tad unnerving, but to be fair, the Polo GTI managed to fight the initial lean and stayed on course as directed ably. The same can also be said of the car's braking, which can be improved on as it felt 'under servoed', I am not expecting a dentures popping kind of braking, but a little more initial bite on the brakes can't go wrong for this car.

New

Polo-roid Pictured | Volkswagen Polo GTI

IN VW, Volkswagen, Polo, GTI

Volkswagen's entry level hatch gets imbued with the GTI badge of honour.

Motorsports

Chevrolet Wins Again Before Hungarian Crowd

IN WTCC, Budapest, Round 7 & 8

Chevrolet collected two more victories in Budapest and improved the team's tally to an impressive seven wins out of the eight races held so far.

“We are very excited about the arrival of the new Mercedes-Benz Viano and Vito in Singapore. I am sure these two outstanding vehicles will be the top choice and the most reliable partner for businesses too,” said Mr Wolfgang Huppenbauer, President and CEO of Daimler South East Asia.

Happenings

Mercedes-Benz Singapore Launches The New Viano And Vito

IN Mercedes-Benz, Viano, Vito

Comprehensively revamped, the new Viano and Vito are greener, more practical and better to drive.

What you need to take note of however is the uninspiring note coming from the bonnet. If you are the sort who is used to hearing the warble of V8s or whirr of force-fed power plants, you might probably just drop your jaws… in amusement. But hey, it is a hybrid after all — the smoothness and seamless operations (both lump and box) is a given. The fact that it starts and idles quietly is also pretty amazing. By the way, the CT200h can be driven solely on a fully charged electric motor at speeds of up to 45km/h before the petrol engine actually kicks in, vibration-free.

New

Surprise Of Sorts | Lexus CT200h

IN Lexus, Hybrid, CT200h

A Lexus hatchback? Hybrid? Nope, your eyes are not playing any tricks...

Modified

Singapore's Best Mitsubishi Evo | Entry Seven (7)

IN Mitsubishi, Evo, Cycle & Carriage, Singapore, Evo 9, Evo X, Evo 10, Turbo

This legendary Kawasaki Green Evo IX is certainly hard to miss. Then again, this 2-time Johor Circuit Drag-race champion is so fast, it MIGHT just be too quick for your eye. Monster? You bet!