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The question was not without merit. Sales of the outgoing Toyota Crown had dwindled to just 21,000 units. A far cry from the heady days where the Japanese automaker sold 200,000-plus units at the peak of the Crown era in 1990. It would take nothing short of a complete reboot to stop the decline of interest in sedans around the world.

Happenings

SHOCK: Toyota Crown sedan splits up into four-strong model lineup for 2023

16th generation Toyota Crown becomes an SUV, wagon, and lifted sedan; to be sold globally starting from Autumn 2022 in Japan

Main concerns

Topping the list were beliefs that EVs are difficult to charge and lack of range as compared to their petrol-powered brethren.

Despite this, an overwhelming 87% of respondents indicated reduction in carbon emissions as a key benefit of EVs. 65% noted increasing number of government incentives, and 59% pointed to the financial savings when compared to using petrol.

“It is encouraging to see the growing appetite for electrified vehicles, and that Singaporean drivers understand the benefits of owning an EV,” said Ms Preeti Gupta, Corporate Affairs Director & Sustainability Lead, BMW Group Asia. “With a 27% increase in EVs purchased in 1H 2021 compared to all of 2020, it is clear Singaporean drivers are ready to integrate electrified vehicles into their daily lives. However, based on our research, we still have work to do when it comes to educating consumers on charging and range.”

What drives EV adoption rates

64% of respondents pointed at a longer warranty period of up to 10 years, while 58% noted good aftersales service would motivate them to purchase an EV for their next car.

Following closely behind were performance at 55%, build quality at 43% and technological features at 42%.

Government incentives and EV uptake

72% of respondents said government incentives and access to public charging facilities were most likely to influence their purchase of an EV, while 70% noted access to home-charging being important.

The usage of EVs was more predominantly weighted toward running daily errands with 62% of respondents, while 40% would commute to and from work and 33% would enjoy weekend leisure trips in an EV.

“Today’s electric vehicles have more than enough range to support daily driving needs,” said Ms Gupta. “The average Singaporean drivers commutes 55km/day, and many electric vehicles allow them to drive anywhere from four to eight days without requiring a recharge.”

Happenings

Almost half of Singaporean drivers want to buy electrified vehicles …

IN BMW Group Asia, Study, Survey, PHEV, EV, Electrified vehicles

… a study by BMW Group Asia shows.

Much to the disappointment of the former group, the second-generation Subaru BRZ broke cover this week with an engine that didn’t feature forced induction. Despite the absence of a turbocharger, however, the new BRZ still offers a power bump over its predecessor.

Happenings

Consistency is key for the new BRZ

IN Subaru, BRZ, Subaru BRZ, Subaru Asia, Toyobaru

Subaru sticks to the purist’s formula for the second-generation BRZ – a naturally aspirated engine, a manual transmission, and rear-wheel drive.

Happenings

Singapore Motorshow 2018 Is Coming Next Week!

IN Singapore Motorshow, 2018, Singapore Motorshow 2018, Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre

Split over two levels, visitors can expect up to 24 brand new models to be showcased at this yearly event

In Product Immersion, trainers were on hand to introduce the many features of the Forte K3, after which participants were able to examine and experience these features for themselves up close.

Happenings

Exclusive Preview Of The New Kia Forte K3

IN Kia, Forte K3, Launch, Product immersion, Facebook

Fifty lucky fans of Torque magazine and Kia Singapore's Facebook pages had the opportunity to put the new Kia Forte K3 through its paces at the Singapore Turf Club.

The difference is not only cosmetic. The new DB9 gets more poke too. That said, this is no Vanquish; the new DB9 is heavier than the Carbon-Bodied Vanquish. Anyways, back to the topic. The new DB9 is powered by Aston Martin's trademark 6.0-liter V12.

Happenings

Aston Martin Facelifts The DB9

IN Aston Martin, DB9

The DB9 is the latest Aston to receive a facelift. So how did its little surgery turn out?

Happenings

Aston's Sedan Gets Rapide-ly face-lifted

IN Aston Martin, Rapide, Rapide S

Aston Martin continues its face-lifting spree, this time, on their Rapide sports sedan/coupe.

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!

The uncomplicated overall design is accentuated by a number of striking key details, such as the wrap around windscreen and asymmetric sunroof design, the front and rear dot-style LED head and positioning-lamps. This juxtaposition of simple and complex is a common trait of many traditional Korean art and craft. Asian Celadon-style pottery, in particular, was a major influence on the car’s styling — with the pottery’s asymmetric form lending itself to the sunroof design, and the typical jade coloring giving Naimo its unique exterior finish. Kia’s design team also made use of innovative technology features to give the car a premium feel and to ensure the car’s exterior remained uncluttered. For example, Naimo has no traditional wiper blade on the windscreen — instead it employs a high-intensity air jet at the base of the windscreen that performs an ‘air wiper’ function. Conventional door mirrors have also been replaced with miniature cameras installed in the A-pillars.

Happenings

Kia Naimo Electric Concept Stars In Seoul

IN Seoul, Motor Show, Kia, Naimo, EV

Making its world premiere at the Seoul Motor Show, the Kia Naimo electric concept car combines Korean heritage with innovative modern features.

On the move, the driving characteristic of the MiTo isn’t what it seems to be. You may opine initially that the ride sways more towards the soft side, but when you set its DNA system from “Neutral” to “Dynamic”, you can feel the MiTo stiffen up and provide a reasonable amount of grip that is both sharp and rather precise. Pity the factory-fitted Bridgestone Turanza ER300 tyres that don’t seem to cooperate as they tend to screech and struggle for grip when pushed hard, killing your enthusiasm when shooting in hard into a corner. When it comes to the brakes, the anchors on the MiTo — standard with ABS and EBD - are assuring and offers respectable stopping power with no feeling of brake fade which is useful at hauling all that 1,145kg to a complete halt.

New

Ciao Di Nuovo | Alfa Romeo MiTo Multiair TCT

IN Alfa Romeo, MiTo, TCT

If you are a loyal fan of hot hatches, you would have noticed how this particular car segment is sometimes on a roll, but in most instances just plain quiet.

Motorsports

Biggest Field In History For Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

IN Porsche, 911, Carrera, PCCA, 2011

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is set for a record-breaking ninth season with an unprecedented 28 drivers signed for the region’s most prestigious GT championship.

The last time that a Red Bull Racing showcar performed in Singapore was back in February 2008 as a special item in that year’s Chingay Parade. It was the first time that the Singapore public had experienced the thunderous engine note of a F1 car, months before the inaugural Singapore night race took place in Marina Bay.

But even then, it was a mere sneak peek as the F1 car segment lasted barely five minutes before the Chingay Parade proper. This time round, the Red Bull Speed Street events will be fully fledged standalone showcar events lasting about an hour each, in which the public can expect manoeuvres such as short sprints, burnouts, engine breaks and donuts, which one won’t get to see often in actual F1 races.

This will mark the first time that Red Bull is organising a F1 showcar event in Malaysia as the blue and silver Red Bull was previously unavailable for sale in the country. The showcar event in Malaysia will take place along the entire stretch of Jalan Bukit Bintang starting from the Pavillion Mall to the Jalan Pudu junction, while the Singapore event will stretch from the Orchard Link junction to the Buyong Road intersection near the Istana.

The Austrian energy drink company, which is fast gaining in popularity amongst F1 aficionados thanks to the double championship winning feat of Red Bull Racing in 2010, is expecting crowds upwards of 100,000 spectators to line the 1km stretches along both shopping streets. To ensure that the safety of the audience is not compromised, safety measures and precautions will be in place in accordance with Red Bull Racing’s safety team.

A series of pre-event activations and tie-ups with retailers and malls in both countries can also be expected in the lead up to the events. Red Bull is also working closely with Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) to organise the event in Singapore.

Happenings

Red Bull Racing's F1 Showcar To Race Down Singapore And Malaysia

IN Red Bull, Racing, F1

Red Bull Speed Street events in April featuring former F1 driver David Coulthard will mark the first time that Orchard Road and Jalan Bukit Bintang will be closed for a motor sports event.

But I think your car has strabismus. Your engineers said that it helps to provide better aerodynamics and apparently they are the only ones who think so. And I reckon I’m right because your blokes at Malvern Link rectified the eye problem four years ago. We were all spot-on except you because being cross-eyed was never a gift especially when you have a recessed nose. It makes driving in the night a grueling task and you can’t have auto headlights as a factory option. That’s the precision you get with hand-built cars.

Readers' Rides

Oh Morgan! | Morgan Aero 8

IN Morgan, Aero 8

Our writer pens a 'letter' to Morgan as he reflects on his encounter with their bespoke supercar, the one and only, defectively flawless, Morgan Aero 8.

From the diagram above, we can now see why Car One is more likely than Car Two to hit X and this hypothesis is taken with the assumption that the driver has a normal average reaction time. If the driver is distracted or driving under the influence of alcohol, then he or she will have a longer than average reaction time to knock X down without having any chance of applying brakes at all.

Happenings

The Dangers Of Speeding

IN Speeding, Traffic Police

Have you ever wondered why speed traps and covert operations conducted by the Traffic Police are in place? That is because inappropriate speed is a danger on public roads.

Happenings

Maserati's Road Racer Shows Up

IN Maserati, GranTurismo, MC, Stradale, GT4, Trofeo

As part of its Asian tour, the hardest-core road-going Maserati makes its appearance in Singapore.

Upon getting into her and turning her on, she comes alive immediately, purring with great pleasure, her raspy engine note serenading to you in sweet seduction. Sitting in the electric sports seat shod in luxurious and supple Nappa leather, it sets you up for an intimate feeling of being in perfect harmony with the RCZ. On the move, this lioness with her turbo charged engine mated to a smooth shifting six speed automatic transmission churning out 156 horses and 240Nm worth of torque sends you into sheer automotive ecstasy in nine seconds with strong in-gear acceleration. And should you try to be blatantly unfaithful to her on the road by attempting to chase down an even more beautiful Italian 'super model', she shows her displeasure with her caterwauling engine screaming

New

Peugeot's Belle Ã‰poque | Peugeot RCZ

IN Peugeot, 1.6 Turbo, RCZ, Coupe

The date was set for a rendezvous, a tryst that bordered on sheer adultery. As I got on my way, a thought came to mind, how can something so wrong feel so right?