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Mercedes-Benz E-Class is No.1


Darthrevan
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Never mind that COE premiums are skyrocketing - a small Mercedes has been replaced by a bigger Benz to become Singapore's top model.

 

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class executive sedan is now the most popular car after the first nine months of 2013. This mid-sized saloon displaces another Merc, the compact C-Class sedan, which was the No 1 model in the first half of 2013, as it carried its momentum from being Singapore's most popular model in 2012.
The E-Class's success can be attributed to its recent facelift. Called the "new" E-Class, it features a dramatically revised front end to align this usually conservative model with the three-pointed star's latest family look.
"The makeover of the E-Class now appeals to both young and old buyers, and most of them view it as a brand new model even though it is already three years old," said the sales manager of a mid-sized dealership.
At the same time, the attraction of the C-Class's 1.6-litre engine lost some of its lustre as the Category A small car COE premium soared and began consistently hovering near the Cat B big car premium.
The sales manager added: "As the rising COE premium caused the C-Class to become more expensive, a few of those who were considering it looked to the new E-Class instead."
The E200 model starts from about $240,000, while the compact C180 sedan is transacted at around $185,000.
Mercedes-Benz remains Singapore's No 1 brand with year-to-date new passenger car registrations of 2,902 units (see table). This number includes both authorised and parallel imports but excludes taxis.
But the BMW brand has managed to close the gap with its traditional rival. After nine months, BMW has notched up 2,889 units, or a difference of a mere 13 cars. In the first quarter of this year, the gap was more than 200 cars.
The number of parallel imports for each brand is only about 160 to 170 units.
Total E-Class registrations came up to 1,353 units from January to September 2013, while the C-Class tally is 1,086 units (see table).
The pair of Mercs was followed by a pair of BMWs - the 5 Series with 1,026 units and the 3 Series with 948.
Rounding up the top five is the Volkswagen Golf, which was introduced as a new model at the start of this year.
Among the top five makes, Toyota is the only non-European - in fact, non-German - nameplate. The once popular Japanese and Korean marques slowed down in this high COE environment. After Toyota, the highest-ranked Japanese make is Mazda at No 7 with 470 new cars registered in the first nine months of 2013.
It is followed by Nissan at No 8 with 466 units. A luxury make, Jaguar, is No 9 with 397 cars while Hyundai rounds up the top 10 with 378 units. But the Korean brand continues to dominate in the taxi segment, with a year-to-date registration of 811 cabs.
From January to September 2013, only 17,102 new cars were registered in Singapore, down 19 per cent from the same period last year.
Total new cars this year are on track to be the lowest in more than 15 years.
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