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BP — If there was one location anywhere on Earth you could drive this car, the perfect road for this car, where would it be? Yamamoto — In Japan we have four seasons; in spring we have the cherry blossoms, in summer there is lots of sunshine so you can drive the car along the coast or beach, in autumn you can enjoy the leaves changing colour in the mountains, and in winter there is snow, and you can wrap up in a scarf and enjoy the scenery. So I believe you can enjoy the drive no matter when or where. I'm sure that no matter where you live, you can find a perfect place, so I'd like for you to find the best for yourself in your own country!
Happenings

The Brains behind the MX-5 Part I | Nobuhiro Yamamoto, Programme Manager

IN Mazda, MX-5, Interview, Chief, ND

When the new Mazda MX-5 was launched here, two of the most important figures in its creation were in attendance. In the first of this two-part series, we had a chat with the car's Programme Manager.


With all that, the golden question that keeps ringing in my mind is simply, “Who would want to buy it then?”
New

Nissan Navara NP300 | Pick Me Up

IN Nissan, Navara, NP300, Nissan Navara NP300, Pick-up, Goods vehicle, Tan Chong International

Nissan’s civilized Navara now comes with creature comforts usually seen only in its sedans - is that a good enough reason to buy one?


Starting from the structure, engineers have developed this convertible to be as rigid as last year’s Coupe. A newly-developed rear wall structure consisting of a magnesium piece sandwiched by aluminium sections work with numerous underbody reinforcements to strengthen the chassis, while an aluminium rear floor section helps to trim some weight. These parts help raise the amount of lightweight metals in the car to over 50% and ensure the car retains a feeling of solidity one would expect from a flagship Mercedes.
Happenings

Topless Decadence

IN Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, S-class, Cabriolet, S500, S63, AMG, Germany, Frankfurt, IAA, Motor show

After 44 years, Mercedes will once again offer a full-size cabriolet to its well-heeled clientele. How serious an effort is it? Let's find out.


Although shaded in terms of drama by the theatrics of the folding roof, the heart of the Huracan Spyder is still a highlight. The naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 is carried over unchanged from the Coupe, producing 610hp and 560Nm of torque. Although top speed is still the same at 324km/h, the extra weight brought on by the need to stiffen the chassis drops the 0-100km/h time from 3.2 to 3.4 seconds. Not exactly what you'd call a slouch, mind.
Happenings

Topless Bull

IN Lamborghini, Huracan, Spyder, Roadster, V10, Supercar, Italy, Frankfurt

The Gallardo Spyder was the most successful convertible in Lamborghini's history, so they'd be a fool not to do a follow-up with a successor…


Similar changes have been made to the car as compared with the original — the windscreen has been replaced with a minimalist carbonfibre 'aero' screen, the nose cone, front cycle wings and rear wings are made of carbonfibre, and the body is finished as standard in bare aluminium; the omission of paint alone saves six kilograms.
Happenings

Bare Bones

IN Caterham, Seven, 7, Superlight, Track, Anniversary, Edition, Special, UK

Caterham are known to make some of the most fearsome road legal cars around — even beating a Bugatti Veyron around the Top Gear track! And they all owe their lineage to one model: the Superlight


The Méhari was produced from 1968-1987, and saw use not only as a commercial vehicle but also as a military one. Just as the Mini Moke had a basic, roofless and doorless body on top of mechanicals from a BMC Mini, so too was the Méhari based on the running gear of the Citroen Dyane (itself a development of the iconic 2CV). Its ABS plastic body made the Méhari even lighter than the 2CV (just 535kg), which made it an excellent vehicle for light off-roading. As a result, the Méhari became something of a cult classic in rural and seaside France.
Happenings

Prickly heat

IN Citroen, C4 Cactus, Cactus M, Concept, Crossover, Frankfurt

The C4 Cactus has been one of Citroen's quirkier creations of late, with innovative use of plastics in its AirBump technology. Its latest concept, the Cactus M, takes that one step further.


The last time this part of the market saw a British entrant was back in 2009, with the Jaguar X-Type. It was a competent enough performer, but the styling was decidedly, shall we say, old-school. Certainly not a description you could make about Jaguar's newest attempt, the XE.
Happenings

The Jaguar XE, now unleashed in Singapore

IN Jaguar, XE, Wearnes Automotive, Launch, Singapore, Sedan

All-new 'baby' Jaguar takes the fight to the Germans and also previews the company's future tech.


There’s the M4 as well, but its aggressive exterior might ruin your suit and tie image. And your boss might think you’re getting paid too much, while ladies won’t see you as the one for the long haul.
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Silent Killah | BMW Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo Coupe

IN Alpina, BMW, B4, BMW Alpina B4 Coupe, Coupe, B4 Bi-Turbo Coupe, Bi-Turbo

If a 435i Coupe isn’t special enough and an M4 looks too ludicrous for you, Alpina’s B4 sounds like the most appropriate solution


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Seeing Double | Mazda CX-5 2.5 Luxury

IN Mazda, CX-5, SUV, Crossover, Facelift, Eurokars

First launched in 2012, the Mazda CX-5 has just gone through its mid-life refresh, and we’ve sampled it in range-topping 2.5L Luxury trim. But exactly how deep do the changes affect this new model?


For all its performance claims though, the coolest aspect of the S8 plus is just how unassuming it looks. Even to the seasoned aficionado the normal S8 looks virtually identical to a base A8, so you’d probably need a bionic eye or cybernetic implants to spot the sprinkling of gloss black or carbonfibre accents dotted around the grille, various air intakes, window trim and side mirrors. Having said that though, the matte-effect Floret Silver paint finish that is unique to the S8 plus does look absolutely dashing.
Happenings

Supersonic Luxury

IN Audi, A8, S8, V8, Luxury, Limousine

With 605hp and 0-100km/h in just 3.8sec, the S8 plus is Audi's most powerful S model yet


The CLA Shooting Brake (SB) is based on the exact same platform as the four other variants mentioned above. As such, engines, interior and driving feel would be extremely familiar to anybody who's driven any of the other cars.
Happenings

Rooftop launch for Mercedes' new CLA Shooting Brake

IN Mercedes Benz, CLA, Shooting Brake, Wagon, Launch

The latest result of Mercedes' genre-bending onslaught, the CLA Shooting Brake is targeted at the "discerning urbanite".


“When I’m in front I can control the race,” Mortara had announced after qualifying. From the second lap on, this was the case. The Italian managed to successfully pull clear of his immediate rivals and gain more than a three-second advantage some of the time. “My car was simply perfect today,” Mortara said after crossing the finish line. “I’m proud of this success and overjoyed. I’m hoping for this to continue to tomorrow.”
Motorsports

Audi's Fifth DTM Victory

IN Audi, DTM, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Manufacturer, 2015 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, M4 DTM, RS5 DTM, AMG DTM

Five victories in nine races and the lead of the manufacturers’ classification - Audi is currently the best manufacturer in the DTM, halfway through the 2015 season


Just like every mid-engined V8 Ferrari before it, the 488 Spider's arrival comes just a few months after the coupe's, and apart from the folding roof, is mechanically identical. This means the 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 contains 661 rampaging Italian ponies, about 100 more than the old naturally aspirated 4.5-litre engine. So despite the Spider weighing about 50kg more than the GTB at 1525kg, Ferrari claims the 0-100km/h time is unchanged at 3 seconds flat.
Happenings

Hold on to your hats! Ferrari unveils its 488 Spider

IN Ferrari, 488, GTB, Spider, Convertible, V8, Turbo, Supercar, News

661 bhp V8 convertible is Ferrari's most powerful drop-top yet


The term
Happenings

All-new XC90 heralds a new beginning for Volvo

IN Volvo, XC90, Sweden, Wearnes, SUV, Launch, Luxury, Family

Gothenburg's maiden SUV finally gets a replacement, and it's much more important to the company than you might think


Ford Motor Company, as automotive sponsor of EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh air show, has been doing its part to help inspire children to become the next generation of aviation pioneers: since 2009 the company has been producing one-off Mustangs to be auctioned off at AirVenture Oshkosh - the largest annual aviation event in the world — with proceeds benefiting EAA's youth programmes.
Happenings

Fly Me To The Moon

IN Ford, Mustang, Ford Mustang, GT, Apollo, Edition, Special, Custom, Charity, Auction, 2015

What happens when you want to celebrate and pay tribute to the coolest aviation icons in a four-wheeled package? You come up with something like the Ford Mustang GT Apollo Edition.


Ahh… Enter the new Audi TT then.It largely retains the bulbous profile of its predecessor, but in case you can’t mark out the differences, the obvious ones would be the sleeker headlamp with matching aggressive front grill and detailed bumper, LED head lamps, redesigned tail-lamps and a rear bumper diffuser that houses a pair of exhaust tips.
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Total Eclipse Of The Heart | Audi TT Coupe

IN Audi, TT, Coupe, Audi TT Coupe, EA888, Audi Singapore, Premium Automobiles

Does the new TT has the substance to impress coupe buyers?


Which was why, historically speaking, Volvo’s XC90 was once the people’s champion; every family men and soccer mums loved it. It has the cabin space of a 5-room HDB flat, the pace of an executive sedan (you have the option of a 2.5-litre turbocharged and 4.4-litre V8) and best of all, an easy to drive demeanour. Volvo’s renowned safety and reliability summed up the package.
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Making Good Sense | BMW X5 xDrive35i

IN BMW, X5, SAV, SUV, XDrive35i, XDrive, Beemer, BMW Asia

The new X5 was introduced last year with a rather big V8 engine and that made its popularity limited, but now with a more sensible 3.0-litre engine will it be more appealing?


And so the Porsche Boxster GTS is one wholesome Boxster with an ebullient driving character. It is properly sticky and responsive, and delivers all the right notes; as you can see, there’s nothing to fault and Porsche deserves a round of applause for this.
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Alter Ego | Porsche Boxster GTS

IN Porsche, Boxster, GTS, Porsche Boxster GTS, Posh, Porsche Centre Singapore, Stuttgart, Stuttgart Auto

Until any sort of news on a GT4 Boxster pops up, petrolheads with an immense love of topless driving will have to be contented with the GTS; and that’s not a bad thing either


Local Porsche dealer, Stuttgart Auto, has just opened the order book for this model. The Boxster Spyder has a price tag of $382,588, without COE.
Happenings

Porsche Boxster Spyder Presented At New York Motorshow

IN Porsche, Boxster, Spyder, Porsche Boxster Spyder, Boxster Spyder, Stuttgart Auto

Porsche begins the 2015 convertible season with the world premiere of the new Boxster Spyder


Occupying a total area of 6,668 square meters, the seven storey facility will be offered as a one-stop shop option for customers to view the different range of passenger and commercial vehicles distributed by Tan Chong. The new S$40 million multi-brand showroom began construction in September 2012 and is part of the company's effort to centralise and consolidate its operations. Nissan customers can also expect work bay facilities for their car servicing needs in the new showroom. At the same time, Subaru customers can expect a bigger and better showroom twice the size of the previous facility and a new STI corner where visitors can purchase premium STI merchandise.
Happenings

Tan Chong Opens New Showroom, Launches New Legacy

IN Tan Chong International Limited, Tan Chong, Nissan, Subaru, Showroom, Leng Kee Road

Built at a cost of $40 million, it offers a one-stop shop for Subaru and Nissan customers



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