Search the Community

Remember our courtesy campaign from donkey years ago? No? How about the Love Your Ride jingle? Well, on this island we call home, the government and government linked bodies are pretty fond of campaigns and "educating" the masses about various mundane parts of our daily routine. And that got me all inspired to come up with my very first motoring related campaign to "educate" Singaporean drivers. Forget the lame courtesy and give way campaigns by the Traffic Police; mine is one that will actually benefit all of us. I call it the the Stomp on your Throttle Campaign. Ever been stuck behind a long queue of cars at the lights even though it is not peak hour and because the guy in front insists on hyper miling his way to a new fuel consumption record, you actually failed to cross the lights before the red light came on? Ever been stuck on the upslope portion of the expressway with a guy in front who is gently caressing his throttle and the speed of his vehicle drops from a considerate 90km/h to 75km/h? Or are you that guy in front? If you are that guy in front, here is news for you. You may not be in rush. You may have no desire to travel faster than buses do. You may not like the concept of wasting money with rising fuel prices. You may just be cheap and anti-social. But the rest of the motoring population doesn't deserve to be subject to your inconsiderate behavior. Here's a news flash. Most Singaporeans spend lots of money on our cars because we want to reach our destinations faster and in greater comfort than if we took public transport. We do not buy a car to beat fuel consumption records because the most fuel saving way to drive is to not drive and take a bus (which incidentally depreciates $0 per year). So, if you are that guy in front, the next time you are at the lights, think about the poor motorists all around you and give your throttle a good hearty stomp. Singapore thanks you for doing your national duty in keeping our roads smooth running. Alternatively, just leave your car at home.

The supercar community in Singapore is a pretty active one and if you don't see groups of them parked together at some hotel, they're probably either in Sentosa or they've gone on their 'rounding' tour of the island. Unfortunately though, Sunday wasn't exactly what most would call typical. Heavy rains in the early morning caused flash floods that saw areas of Singapore, particularly the Bukit Timah area of the island, being submerged for most of the day. So while normal cars like Toyota Vios's were carefully threading through the water, can you imagine what chance the supercar's would have had? Stomp has a picture of a Maserati GranTurismo stranded in the waters off Orchard road and probably the most disturbing of the lot of pictures and videos being covered in the online blog sphere and on tv can be found on our very own My Car Forum! Posted by one Mockngbrd, the pictures were taken in the undergound parking spaces of the St.Regis hotel. Here's a link to the forum post. For the benefit of those who are unable to see the pictures, the series of photos start with a one showing just how deep the flood water came benchmarked by a parked BMW X5 and the lift loby. It then goes on to a kermit the frog green Porsche GT3 RS, then to a 'normal' Audi TT coupe with a glimpse of a vibrant shade of yellow and green at the corner of the same picture. Both shades belong to two supercars parked next to each other which the next picture clearly shows. One is the Lamborghini's Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera - a lightweight and more powerful edition of the Gallardo model. The other is the brand-new Ferrari 458 with a Novitec kit, believed to be the only one in Singapore right now. The remaining two pictures show a limited edition Aston Martin Vantage V12 with the bonnet up and a random pick of luxury limo's from a Roll's to a BMW 7.

Cycle & Carriage, the authorised agent for Mercedes-Benz in Singapore, has riled parallel importers with a series of ads pointing out the shortcomings of parallel-imported Mercs, resulting in advertising authorities stepping in. According to local media reports, an ad by Cycle and Carriage read: "Cheaper Mercedes-Benz cars do come with standard accessories. Headaches, stress, sleepless nights, to name a few." The Automotive Importers and Exporters Association (AIEA), a trade body of about 75 parallel importers, has filed complaints with the authorities over the newspaper advertisements. AIEA's VP Lim Tze Yong was quoted complaining that the ads were "not justified" as they gave the impression that parallel-imported goods were counterfeited. The ASAS has since informed Cycle & Carriage that the ads had to be modified "in accordance with the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice" but has not received any acknowledgement from the firm. Since parallel importers appeared in the early 1990s to break Cycle & Carriage's 40-year monopoly on selling Mercedes-Benz, the rivalry between the two sides has been bitter. But barring an ad Cycle & Carriage took out in 1996 - saying it would not honour warranty cards of parallel imports - the publicly listed automotive group has largely adopted a 'live and let live' attitude. But industry watchers said the shrinking car market as well as rising competition from BMW might have prompted Cycle & Carriage to take a stronger stand now against parallel importers, which typically account for 8 per cent to 15 per cent of Mercedes sales here. Since the new E-Class launched in 2009, there has been a significant rise in parallel imported Mercedes-Benz all around the island, most of which were offered about 10% cheaper than the Authorised dealer. The rise in Merc parallel imports last year could also be due to the recession. One industry observer said there are still people who want to buy a luxury car during poor economic times but may not want to pay as much. 'So they go shopping for a parallel import,' he said. 'That is why a good proportion of the PI cars is made up of used luxury models less than three years old, imported from countries like Japan and the UK.'

I was turning onto Bras Basah Road from Queen Street one day and I saw this car that was parked smack in the middle of a yellow box, in the middle of a cross junction with the hazard lights on and to top it all off, in the bus lane as well. I was thinking how on earth could a driver be so thick skinned to even do such a thing? The driver later moved on past the yellow box after causing much displeasure and several long angry sounding horns but still remained stationary as the photo shows, in the bus lane (red lines and everything). How inconsiderate can you get I have no idea. Blocking traffic and violating the laws on the road is one thing but this blatant ignorance of other road users is just intolerable. And the best part was people in the cars behind me also slowed down to take photos of this maniac who thinks the world owes he/she their time. So if any readers know who this person is or why the car was stopped there please leave a comment. Or if you've seen other inconsiderate drivers feel free to comment as well!

Im pretty sure most of the readers here have heard of this, it's quite old news but for the benefit of those who havn't heard of it, allow me to introduce to you probably one of the most stunning cars you have have ever seen in your life. This already stunning Mercedes-Benz SL600 gets 300,000 Swarovski crystals showered on it while it sits on 20" rims, stealing the show at Tokyo Auto Salon in Chiba, Tokyo. Displayed along with more than 600 custom vehicles, this dazzling beast made sure to be the center of attraction like always. This event took place at Chiba

Rapidly escalating oil and gas prices have drawn the attention of political leaders, including President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. While the government can do little to affect prices, it can monitor the activities of traders and speculators to ensure that no laws are being broken. Attorney General Holder was clear that there is no current evidence of fraud or illegal activity, and that the move was preemptory in nature only. As quoted by CNN, Holder said,

Even super car owners would fancy some zhng-ing Every time an unknowing poster starts a thread on car modifications, there will, within minutes, be a deluge of posts espousing certain truths, half-truths and myths to dissuade anyone from embarking on the journey to car modifications. Any helpful advice proffered will invariably get buried and lost amongst such posts. I will not dispute that some of arguments made are indeed the truth; for e.g. the fact that modifying a car can get very expensive. But, there are also many other points brought up which tend to confuse rather than enlighten someone hesitantly taking baby steps into modifying his or her car. I call those the Anti Car Mod Myths (or ACMM). ACMM #1: If XYZ mod was good, car manufacturers would have included it. Sometimes true, sometimes not true. This ACMM is on this list because it does not help anyone, in any way, with dealing with the issue of whether a mod is worth his money or not. We can never use the fact whether the car manufacturer would have included it in stock form as a gauge of the utility of a mod. Simply put, car manufacturers do face constraints. They need to cater to a large enough segment of the market to hit sufficient sales and drive per unit costs down. They also need to keep a tight leash on costs. They also need to sell worldwide. Some of their constraints do not apply to the Singaporean market. For example, they might have concerns over adopting certain technology because of reliability issues when the car age hits double digits or half a million clicks on the odometer. That scenario occurs commonly in everywhere BUT SINGAPORE. So, the next time someone raises this point, know that it doesn't add value at all. ACMM #2: The car manufacturer knows best; these aftermarket companies don't spend as much as the car manufacturers do on R&D.... A corollary of ACMM 1, this ACMM also does not aid anyone in making any decisions about car modification parts. Let me rehash the argument I made above; even if the car manufacturer knew best, they face constraints that may or may not apply to the Singapore market or the individual. Short of a super car manufacturer, car manufacturers would almost never be able to make the best car that they could. That is because everyone defines best differently. They would never be able to truly customize their cars to suit individual needs. And of course, we are working on the assumption that car manufacturers do know best (which is not always a given). ACMM #3: You pay so much, you might as well save and get a better car. This ACMM crops up with a scary regularity; perhaps because it sounds so reasonable and logical that it becomes inherently persuasive. But it ignores a critical dimension - that is, a car modification enthusiast would always want to modify his car. Be it a humble Jap sedan or an Italian raging bull, these are a breed of people who derive a separate pleasure from customizing their car. So sure, by all means save up and get a better car, but don't be surprised if the temptation to mod comes around again. Take it from a person who has been there and done that. Heard a ACMM bandied about the forum recently? Or disagree with what I said? Drop a line in the box below and who knows, there might be a part 2 to this blog post.

The weather of late has been pretty crazy, with searing temperatures allied with the onset of sudden heavy thunderstorms to make our lives all miserable. (But then again, that's how Singapore's weather has been like forever, so at least it's not a new phenomenon) Despite that though, if there's work to be done, there's work to be done. And the sgCarMart team has been hard at work this week, braving the weather to bring you guys some amazing photos for our articles, just for our readers' pleasure. It can be tough sometimes, as we stand under the hot sun, getting an impromptu tan while we seek the best angles for photoshoots. And if it rains, all our best laid plans we may have would go to waste, as we would then have to source out alternative venues at short notice to capture the best shots. But at the end of the day, we all feel that it's worth the sacrifice, if we do manage to get amazing pictures to go along with our articles. We understand that pictures speak a thousand words, and so we strive our very best to seek out the best locations, and arrange the cars in the best possible pose to get the desired effect. All these, just for you, our readers. You are the motivation for our hard work and efforts. As long as there is continued support from you, we don't mind getting sunburnt, or getting drenched in the rain, a few more times.

[extract] At the 50th Furniture Fair in Milan (Italy), Fiat presented the

[extract] About 10 years ago, we didn

I wish we had a road like this to cruise on! When was the last time you went for an aimless cruise with no destination in mind; just to enjoy a pleasant drive in your precious car in Singapore? (No, your overseas driving holidays don't count!) Personally, I can't remember exactly the last time I did it. I think it was back in the 1990s when I was still a passenger rather than a driver. Those were the good old days when there were fewer cars on the road and petrol was cheap. Driving around Singapore could still possibly be a pleasant activity. Now, I sit in front of the wheel instead of in the rear seats. And I really enjoy driving my car. But yet, it hasn't ever crossed my mind to go for a long leisurely cruise in it ever. I would drive it to more and further places but I wouldn't go for a drive just for the sake of it. It just seems so ... wasteful. Ignoring the implications it would have on wasted petrol and correspondingly my monthly petrol bill, such an activity is so extravagant because so much time is consumed. With the hectic lifestyles that we lead to support our cars during the week, any down time in the weekends tends to run out with the gamut of activities that just crop up. A quick survey of my driver friends (the "rounding" crowd excluded) reveals that most of them have stopped indulging in such an activity; even if they used to do it before. And another quick survey of my biker friends (unfortunately, few and far between) reveals the exact opposite picture. So what exactly is the difference? Is biking more pleasurable? Is it easier on the wallet? Or does biking attract folks with a more relaxed attitude to life? Meanwhile, excuse me while I punch an entry into my to-do list on my phone - go for a long pleasant drive. Any suggested routes, people?

As roads become narrower and the car population increases almost everywhere in the world, parking becomes an even more difficult task. But this video proves that with a little innovation and creativity, that problem can be solved.[/extract] Mind you this was the 1950s and honestly, I don't know why this invention didn't catch on and we'd rather try to invent a car that parks itself (Lexus' LS460L) which doesn't really work either. In the video, the invention in question is a fifth wheel at the rear of a car, (the spare wheel) and it lowers itself and swivels to enable the driver to park and get out of a parking space with ease! This looks amazing in itself and I really have no idea why no car company picked it up. It would definitely keep those impatient blokes who horn and swear when others are trying to park, parallel parking especially!

China seems to be where old and previous models go and get rebadged, rehashed or to live on. So the ugliest looking Honda ever made, the previous generation Honda City, gets previewed as the Li Nian S1 at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition recently. I may be harsh on this Honda but I could be harsher as I also think that it was the ugliest car sold in the last decade. Anyway, what was supposed to be a very nicely drawn (and displayed at the Beijing Motor Show) Erevus concept car (photo above) turns out to be the Honda City Tadpole rehashed to target first time fish, I mean buyers. Li Nian is a joint venture between Honda and Guangqi Honda Automobile. I suppose China has such a vast market that anything with a decent badge would be snapped up by its consumers. Hence the tadpole rises up from the ashes like a Phoenix, reborn. The car will come with a 1.3 and a 1.5 liter engine. The 1.5liter should be similar to the Honda City version sold here so performance figures should be similar. And I thought it was the last I

While we get all excited about the new Focus, VW NCC concept, Audi e-Tron etc, let's not forget the lovely ladies that graced the event. They are like the decorative flowers beside the maincourse that makes a meal look more appealing. The job of a motorshow girl seemed easy but it is really not so. Imagine standing on stiletto-like heels for hours and trying to maintain balance. Not only that, they need to wear a permanent smile on their face no matter how strained their kulf muscles are. In addition, they need to keep a lookout for men who are up to no good, if you know what I mean. Without further ado, I present to you the beautiful maidens of the 2010 Detroit Motorshow: