Better-equipped Volkswagen Tiguan arrives
The third-generation Volkswagen Tiguan has arrived and, for the first time, the compact crossover qualifies for the less punitive Category A certificate of entitlement (COE). It is slightly longer than its predecessor and offers more cargo space.
The variant here has a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which allows for cylinder deactivation and engine-off coasting. An oversized infotainment screen dominates the cockpit, with features which include a fully automated parking system. Front seats offer massage and cooling functions.
Prices start at $199,900 with COE.
China’s Aion to roll out three models here in 2024
The GAC Aion Y Plus is the latest Chinese electric car to arrive here. Its open market value (OMV or approximate cost price before taxes) starts at $26,000.
Distributed by long-time parallel importer Vincar, the Y Plus starts at $155,888 with COE, while a premium variant arriving in the next few months is expected to cost some $8,000 more. This puts the Y Plus in the same price segment as the popular and similarly sized BYD Atto 3. Both variants of the Y Plus qualify for the less punitive Category A COE.
And so will the Aion ES – a Toyota Camry-size sedan which will target fleet operators and which is undergoing approval inspections now.
A third model due here is the Hyper HT, a full-sized performance sport utility vehicle (SUV) that looks like a cross between Porsche’s Cayenne and Tesla’s Model X. Like the X, there will be a top-end variant with gull-wing doors and which promises a 0-100kmh in under six seconds and a range exceeding 700km. The Hyper HT will qualify for Category B COE when it arrives in September.
Vincar founder Vincent Tan says he expects annual sales of Aion cars to be “at least 500” units.
Aion is an all-electric brand of Guangzhou Automobile Group Co, China’s fifth-largest automotive group. It is a manufacturing partner of Toyota and Honda for their China-made vehicles.
Tesla cans mass-market model
Tesla has shelved its plans for a mass-market model – one which is said to cost US$25,000 (S$33,800) or less. Industry watchers reckon the move might reflect Tesla’s realisation that it will not be able to compete with Chinese manufacturers in this price segment.
Reuters reported that the American electric carmaker is doubling down on rolling out its robotaxi instead.
Prices for new electric vehicles (EVs) are dropping in the US. But they are still roughly US$5,000 higher than the US$46,997 average transaction price for a new vehicle, according to Cox Automotive data.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk set a goal in 2006 of building a profitable EV Tesla that could sell for US$25,000 – less than half the current average price for EVs. Meanwhile, China’s BYD sells a version of its Dolphin EV for US$13,865 and BYD sells versions of its Seagull EV for as low as US$9,700 in China – cheaper than many petrol cars.
But without cheaper EVs, the Joe Biden administration’s goal of boosting EVs to more than half of new vehicle sales by 2030 could be at risk. General Motors killed its cheapest EV, the Chevrolet Bolt, in 2023.
New Skoda Kodiaq slated to arrive in third quarter
Skoda has unveiled its second-generation Kodiaq SUV, which offers more space, comfort and technology. Features include head-up display and an infotainment system with ChatGPT.
Powertrain choices range from 150hp to 204hp, with a plug-in hybrid promising more than 100km of electric-only range. The Kodiaq comes with a 13-inch infotainment screen and an optional head-up display.
Like most modern cars, it has a suite of soft controls. Smart Dials with haptic controls and a 10.25-inch digital instrumentation screen are available in all variants. Voice control with artificial intelligence-based chatbot ChatGPT will be offered from mid-2024.
The new Kodiaq is due to arrive in the third quarter of 2024.
Singapore-Malaysian EV charging firms offer cross-border convenience
Home-grown electric vehicle-charging operator Charge+ has tied up with Malaysia’s ChargeSini to offer EV drivers from both countries access to each other’s charging networks. The partnership is expected to enhance the convenience of cross-border EV charging for drivers.
Charge+ has about 2,000 EV charging points in Singapore and across the region, and it aims to install 30,000 charging points in South-east Asia by 2030.
ChargeSini boasts a network of 701 operational EV charging bays across 224 hubs, strategically located across Peninsular and East Malaysia. This network includes 122 DC charging points.
Audi unveils more powerful S3
Audi’s facelifted S3 offers increased output, a torque splitter and other technology highlights to “ensure strong performance and agile handling”, it claims.
Visually, a sporty diffuser and a four-pipe exhaust system differentiate it from the A3. Available as a Sportback and Saloon, the S3 2.0 TFSI has 333hp and 420Nm of torque, an increase of 23hp and 20Nm. It accelerates from 0-100kmh in 4.7 seconds and maxes out at 248kmh. The engine and transmission are tuned for better acceleration from the low end.
Following the RS3, a torque splitter is now available in the S3, increasing both agility and stability. This technology enables fully variable torque distribution between the rear wheels.
BMW, Rimac to develop batteries together
BMW Group and Croatian EV-maker Rimac Technology have entered into a long-term partnership. The aim is to co-develop and co-produce innovative solutions in the field of high-voltage battery technology for selected electric vehicles. BMW expects EVs to account for more than half its sales before 2030.
Three years ago, Volkswagen Group announced that its ultra-exclusive Bugatti brand would become part of a joint venture between Volkswagen’s Porsche and Rimac. Rimac now owns 55 per cent of the joint venture known as Bugatti-Rimac and Porsche will own 45 per cent.
Lamborghini’s 10 last Huracan models
Lamborghini says the STJ is its final Huracan and is limited to just 10 units. Like the Huracan STO before it, the Huracan STJ delivers 640hp and 565Nm of torque, transmitted by a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to the rear wheels.
But mechanical grip has been increased significantly by a set of four adjustable racing-derived shock absorbers. The absorbers are four-way adjustable to optimise rebound and compression.
Lamborghini says the STJ is more than one second quicker than the STO on the Nardo Technical Centre Handling Track.
