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COVID restrictions meant we only had an hour with the car during the launch event of the new Mk8 Golf and Golf GTI (and that included time for photography as well), so we can’t give you much more than the most fleeting of first impressions. Oh, and conspiring against us further still was some truly appalling weather. But even so, there are signs that VW has turned up the aggression slightly in the Mk8 and made it a more willing entertainer than its forebears.
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FIRST DRIVE: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk8

IN Volkswagen, Golf, GTI, Golf GTI, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volkswagen Group Singapore

A brief taster of the new Golf GTI suggests that Volkswagen has injected a bit more sportiness back into the long-reigning hot hatch king.


Drive it like a HEV, and the battery charges itself up with regenerative braking. This turns energy typically wasted during braking, into useful electric charge for the battery that can be used in future. Got access to an EV charging point? You’ll also be able to juice the battery up for a bit of extra electric go.
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Bit of Both | Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge PHEV

IN Volvo, XC40, Volvo XC40, Hybrid, Plug-in hybrid, PHEV

Volvo’s latest XC40 Recharge PHEV crossover provides a semi-EV experience, but works best if you have a private charging point.


The Vos difference At Vos, customisation doesn’t just entail slapping on a lip kit and applying a different-coloured vinyl wrap. Customers who bring their cars to them can expect a bespoke experience, all the way from concept to execution.
The Pit

Veni, Vidi, Vos

IN Advertorial, Vos, Vos Automotive Styling

Just like how an architect might build you the house of your dreams, Vos Automotive Styling provides a bespoke solution to realise your automotive aesthetic visions.


On one hand, it’s fun to pop in for an oil change and have a poke around at other interesting cars there that day. Some of these little ad-hoc adventures of mine have uncovered unicorns like this Koenig Specials Ferrari 308, amongst others.
Happenings

Neighbours with your workshop

IN AutoApp, AutoApp SG, Car concierge

Ever wished your workshop was just next door to your home? You can make this a reality with AutoApp, a convenient car care app.


The car we’re testing here is a face-lifted RS5. Mostly the same as the outgoing model, the front of the car sports the most distinctive tweaks. To give the updated car a fresher face, Audi has opted for perpendicular diamond-shaped black side grilles that house the fog lamps. Along with a minor redesign on the headlamp LEDs, these side intakes make the face a bit more aggressive.
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Safe House | Audi RS5 Sportback 2.9 TFSI

Fast and kinda furious, the face-lifted RS5 is still quick and sensible. But are fast Audis getting too efficient for their own good?


So, when an email popped into my inbox with the keywords 'cross-border', memories of the good old days - i.e. 2019 - came flooding back. A cross-country network. Turns out, the email wasn’t from the Government announcing border re-openings. Instead, it was the good folks at Porsche and Shell, announcing their EV charging network that spans Singapore and Malaysia.
Happenings

We went on an imaginary holiday in a Porsche Taycan

IN Porsche, Taycan, Taycan 4S, Porsche Taycan, Porsche Taycan 4S, Shell, EV Charging, EV Charging Network, Road trip

Porsche Asia Pacific and fuel giant Shell have announced a cross-country EV charging network – that means full-electric driving, all the way up to Penang!


Of course, not everything was perfect over the last half-century. After the sublime near-perfection of the ’90s E39 generation came a couple of stumbles: the ’00s E60 with its maddeningly perplexing early iDrive system and controversial “Dame Edna” styling (though the passage of time has been kind to it), followed by the slightly bloated – aesthetically and dynamically – F10 from the early 2010s.
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Old Faithful | BMW 530i M Sport

IN BMW, BMW 5, BMW 5 Series, Performance Motors Limited

Want a large luxury sedan that can do it all? The cleverer and ostensibly greener facelifted BMW 5 Series takes some beating.


Is there more power? Many changes have been made to make the GR 86 same but better. For starters, the new 2.4-litre lump makes 35 bhp more than the outgoing 2.0-litre, now producing 232 bhp and 250 Nm. As in the new BRZ, peak torque in the GR 86 is available from a much more usable 3,700rpm.
Happenings

Toyobaru Toyota Twin Revealed

IN Toyota, GR86, Toyota GR86, Toyota GR, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyobaru, Borneo Motors

Toyota's refreshed rear-drive coupe has launched, with the same 2.4-litre flat-4 as its related Subaru twin – but a few minor differences.


The what now? The Scala and Kamiq, the two latest compact-sized offerings from Skoda. Meaning “ladder” in Latin, the Scala is supposed to represent the Skoda brand scaling new heights, according to the official spiel. It’s a hatchback marginally larger than a Volkswagen Golf, but smaller than the company’s staple offering, the Octavia liftback sedan.
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Czechs and Balances | Skoda Scala and Kamiq

IN Skoda, Scala, Kamiq, Skoda Scala, Skoda Kamiq

Two new compact contestants to Singapore’s car market provide buyers new entry-level options in the Skoda range.


In the car world, examples that come to mind are the Mercedes-Benz G-wagen, or in years past, the Bugatti EB110 Supersport, Subaru WRX STI Spec-C, Mitsubishi Evolution VII, Lancia Delta Integrale, or Alfa Romeo SZ - all cars that are highly prized by collectors, yet you cannot call any of them “classically beautiful”. In the case of the M3 Competition Sedan and M4 Competition Coupé, their huge front grilles serve a functional purpose. The cooling requirements are substantial for a twin-turbo engine that makes 510hp and 650Nm of torque in any part of the world where temperatures can reach in excess of 50-degrees Celsius.
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M and Ms | BMW M3 Competition and M4 Competition

IN BMW, M3, M4, BMW M3, BMW M4, Performance Motors Limited

The latest dynamic duo from the BMW M division arrive in Singapore to offer two distinct flavours of performance.


Reflecting on my situation, I’ve narrowed down my choice to a compact car that is friendlier to my pockets. The good thing about the current crop of compact cars is (a) they’re zippy, (b) spacious inside, and (c) economical; with smaller engine capacity, that means significantly lower fuel bills plus cheaper road tax and insurance premiums. Voila!
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Good Things Are In Small Packages | Volkswagen T-Cross R-Line

IN Volkswagen, T-Cross, R-Line, VW, Volkswagen T-Cross R-Line, Compact SUV, SUV, Sports Utility Vehicle, City Car

If, like me, you’re looking for a compact car to replace your current ‘oversized’ one, you should probably read this


Designed from the ground up in partnership with HWA AG – the same people who helped in the construction of the CLK GTR road car – the Huayra R features a new chassis, powertrain and aerodynamic package. At the heart of it all is the new bespoke V12 powerplant, producing 838 bhp at 8250 rpm and 750 Nm of torque between 5500-8300 rpm. It’s the most powerful naturally-aspirated V12 Pagani has ever utilised, with 99 bhp and 40 Nm more than the Zonda R. Best of all, these lofty figures are delivered by a featherweight package that weighs just 198 kg.
Happenings

A Huayra for the track

IN Pagani, Huayra, Pagani Huayra, Pagani Huayra R

Pagani releases a track-only, naturally-aspirated V12 Huayra – the 838 bhp Huayra R.


At the rear, a larger three-dimensional rear combination light replaces the old tapered ones. The front and rear blinkers are now also equipped with a sequential turn signal lamp as standard.
Happenings

New Honda Odyssey here in Singapore

The face-lifted 2021 Odyssey adopts Honda’s new direction in having a cleaner and less fussy front end and some interior updates.


Back then, it arrived with a 1.0-lire turbocharged engine (amusingly named “Boosterjet”) that gave it an enthusiastic character and made it heaps of fun to drive, but with the revisions to Singapore’s Vehicle Emissions Scheme tax/rebate structure this year, that’s been swapped out for a hybrid model which falls into the maximum rebate tier for its green credentials.
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Toys and Joys | Suzuki Swift 1.2 Mild Hybrid

IN Suzuki, Swift, Hybrid, Suzuki Swift, Swift Hybrid, Champion Motors

The perenially popular Suzuki Swift gains a tiny bit of hybrid power, but it is the lively handling and generous safety equipment that will put the biggest smile on your face.


Happenings

The different flavours of BMW Luxury

IN BMW, GKL, GKL Range, BMW 7, 7 Series, BMW 8, 8 Series, BMW X7, X7, Luxury Cars

BMW Luxury motoring is defined in 3 different ways as shown by these flagship models.


But wafting comes at a cost (usually in excess of seven figures). To make it more accessible to the rich-but-not-as-rich businessmen, premium brands like Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Jaguar have made it their life-long aim to produce flagship models that can emulate that smooth road-yacht feel.
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Magic Carpet Ride | Audi A8 Mild Hybrid 3.0 TFSI

For the longest time, the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series have topped the luxury barge segment's market share. Can Audi's new A8 steal some sales with this new party trick?


Available at launch (and shown in these pictures) is the Morgan Plus Six, a 3.0-litre six-cylinder two-seater roadster with a starting price of S$415,888 without Certificate of Entitlement; NB Auto has confirmed that the Plus Six has cleared the Land Transport Authority’s homologation process.
Happenings

British sports car maker Morgan arrives in Singapore

IN Morgan, Singapore, Sports cars, New cars, Launch

355hp, S$415k (w/o COE) Morgan Plus Six heralds the 112-year old company’s first-ever official presence here; S$325k Plus Four to follow in Q2 2021.


Happenings

MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition Cooper S

Only 5 MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition Cooper S models will be made available in Singapore.


What are your top 3 achievements in 2020? Our greatest achievement in 2020 was having BMW recognised in Singapore as the second top-selling car brand, and the best-selling among premium brands. In addition to moving up three positions, from 5th to 2nd, our market share increased to 9.8%, the highest market share of any BMW NSC worldwide.But that’s not all. We maintained segment leadership in the Philippines for the second year in a row, and also secured premium segment leadership in Indonesia after 15 years (as of YTD December 2020).Finally, sales in the region increased for both BMW and MINI brands across their model range. Our luxury models – 7 Series, 8 Series and X7 – increased by 15% and sales of BMW M and M Performance models increased by 14% in Singapore. Specifically, in the Philippines and Vietnam, luxury model sales increased by 63% and 48% respectively compared to 2019.  For MINI, we witnessed extremely strong growth compared to 2019 with our xEV models (+63%), Performance JCW models (+116%), and the new MINI Clubman (+74%).None of this would have been possible without the relentless ongoing support of our strong partners in all markets.
Happenings

“10 questions to…”

Challenges. Successes. Mr. Christopher Wehner, the Managing Director of BMW Group Asia shares how he has taken the BMW Group Asia region to new heights.


This then, has the all-singing, all-dancing full-blooded AMG powerplant for the family of Mercedes cars that bear the letter ‘A’; A-Class, CLA and GLA. The 45 series of AMG cars is the entry point to what some might consider as a ‘proper’ AMG as the engines come from a “one-man, one-engine” production line where the finished power unit bears a plaque with the name and signature of the technician who put the mechanical masterpiece together. My compliments then, to Alexander Kasarez who built a fine motor for our test car. In this instance however, it is technically a “one-woman, one-engine” production. Here’s to Girl Power!
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Sense of Occassion | Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ Coupé

IN Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, CLA, CLA 45S, Mercedes-AMG CLA 45S

The most powerful 2.0-litre car you can buy adds a touch of practicality to make it a more useable daily proposition.



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