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Wii Japan sales overwhelm PS3 Mon Oct 1, 2007 11:48 AM ET TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd's <7974.OS> Wii videogame console outsold Sony Corp's <6758.T> PlayStation 3 by more than four to one in Japan in April-September, game magazine publisher Enterbrain said on Monday. Nintendo sold about 1.6 million units of the Wii over 26 weeks through September 23 in its home market, compared with 385,492 units of the PS3 sold, Enterbrain said. The Wii features a motion-sensing controller that lets users direct on-screen action by swinging it like a racket or sword, helping widen the machine's appeal. Sony's PS3 suffered a slow start since its launch last November due to its high price and scarcity of strong software titles.

Saw this ad selling a used Mar 07 Mazda 6 @ $68k and sms the sales person to ask for the best price. The salesperson reply asking me to go down to take a look at the car and further discuss on the price. And I reply him that I do not want to waste my trip if price is too high..and guess what is his reply..he reply me not to waste my trip then..I seriously doubt the service standard..with such high price posted, it is naturally interested party would like to know roughly the more reasonable price...on Sat ST, the new car is posted at $72k...for 4k more, I rather get a new car..this is really ridiculous..and very lousy service.

Hi Guys/Sis, Got some info from Opel that they r letting off their showroom units at $63,888. 5 yrs warranty and 3 Yrs free servicing!!! For info so can use it to compare with CA. Lately i know that the A5 can touch as low as 75K, current stock!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6961965.stm Chinese-made MG cars go on sale Chinese-made MG cars will go on sale in China next month, the brand's new owner has said. The cars - priced between $23,000 (

Temasek's Net Income Falls 29% as Stake Sales Dwindle (Update1) By Jean Chua Aug. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore's state-owned investment company, said full-year profit fell 29 percent after it sold fewer assets and wrote down the value of its stake in Thai telecommunications operator Shin Corp. Net income was S$9.1 billion ($6 billion) in the year ended March 31, from S$12.8 billion a year earlier, Temasek said in its annual report released today. Total assets under management rose 27 percent to S$164 billion after Temasek bought shares in companies including Standard Chartered Plc. Temasek's acquisition of stakes in India's ICICI Bank Ltd. and Bank of China Ltd. helped increase overseas assets to 62 percent of its portfolio, and the company last week said it will invest about $2.3 billion in Barclays Plc. ``They are pretty good banks with decent returns, so if you're a big fund, it makes sense to buy them now,'' said Jorry Noeddekaer, who helps manage about $1.5 billion of Asian stocks at New Star Asset Management Ltd. ``You're able to ride through the ups and downs, and maybe in five, 10, 15 years, these may become really big banks.'' Temasek's expansion has been less successful in Thailand, where the value of its shares in Shin Corp. slumped 34 percent in the year ended March. Temasek, owned by Singapore's finance ministry, has given a return on investment of more than 18 percent by market value since its inception in 1974, the company said today. Maintaining that growth rate will be ``challenging,'' Yap Chwee Mein, the company's managing director for investment, told reporters. Shin Corp. Stake The company sold S$5 billion of assets in the past year. The year before, the company sold S$13 billion of assets, including stakes in Singapore companies SMRT Corp., CapitaCommercial Trust, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and developer CapitaLand Ltd. Temasek said profit also fell because of a decline in the value of its stake in Shin Corp., the Bangkok-based company founded by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The company last year bought control of Thaksin's mobile- phone and satellite group. The deal exacerbated protests and a political stalemate in Thailand that led to Thaksin's ouster in the Sept. 19 coup. Losses from associated companies totaled S$830 million in the year ended March, compared with profit of S$1.16 billion a year earlier, according to the report. The company didn't say how much of the loss was caused by its investment in Shin Corp. ``In spite of the impairment, the portfolio as a whole hasn't been affected,'' said Ng Yat Chung, managing director of portfolio management. Shin Corp. ``is an investment we're still holding. The underlying business is a sound one.'' Rising Returns Temasek's annual total shareholder returns, measuring dividends received from investments and changes in the market value of its portfolio, was 27 percent. That compares with a 24 percent gain in the MSCI AC Asia Pacific excluding Japan Index and the 28 percent rise in Singapore's Straits Times Index. Shares in Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., which is invested in ports, phone companies, real estate developments and energy, rose 5.6 percent over that period. U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett's investment firm Berkshire Hathaway Inc. gained 21 percent in the same period. The highest returns came from Temasek's largest investments. Bank of China Ltd. shares rose 14 percent between the time it went public last year till March 31, and China Construction Bank stock gained 66 percent. Shares of India's ICICI Bank Ltd. rose 45 percent in the year ended March 31. Shares of Standard Chartered gained 2.2 percent in the year ended March. Temasek owns 14 percent of the U.K. lender, which gets most of its money from Asia. Singapore Assets Temasek has paid an annual dividend of at least 7 percent of its capital since its inception, Ng said, without giving details on the size of Temasek's capital. The company spent S$16 billion on acquisitions, compared with S$21 billion in the year ended March 2006. Temasek controls seven of Singapore's 10 biggest publicly traded companies, including Singapore Airlines Ltd., Singapore Telecommunications and DBS Group Holdings Ltd. ``The institutions that Temasek has minority equity stakes in are doing well, but in the medium to long term, it's more important to look at how they grow the institutions in which they have majority control, as it's a more stable form of asset appreciation,'' said Emmanuel Daniel, president of The Asian Banker, which provides research to financial services companies. Bank Acquisitions The company, run by 54-year-old Chief Executive Officer Ho Ching, said financial services swelled to 38 percent of total assets from 35 percent a year earlier. The company owns shares in ICICI Bank, India's second-biggest lender, and banks in Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea and Pakistan. Telecommunications accounts for 23 percent of Temasek's total assets, from 26 percent a year earlier. Temasek also owns stakes in Bank of China, the nation's second-biggest bank, and China Construction Bank, the third biggest. Investments in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries other than South Korea remained unchanged at 20 percent of its portfolio. Investments in Asia, excluding Japan and Singapore, rose to 40 percent from 34 percent. To contact the reporter on this story: Jean Chua in Singapore at [email protected] . Last Updated: August 2, 2007 07:51 EDT http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...kmp4&refer=asia He said: "The cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government... your asset values will disappear, your apartments will be worth a fraction of what it is, your jobs will be in peril, your security will be at risk and our women will become maids in other persons' countries - foreign workers." so is this the famous dose of incompetent gahmen? http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../268475/1/.html

an interesting report from BT, no wonder AD is trying hard to put down PI by complaining PI having too low OMV: Business Times - 04 Jul 2007 Top distributors see sales fall in first half Parallel imports chip away, along with fewer COEs By SAMUEL EE A JUMP in the sales of parallel imports and, to a lesser extent, a dip in the number of COEs, have conspired to push down the first-half volume of the top authorised distributors. The four best-selling brands among members of the Motor Traders Association of Singapore (MTA) all saw their sales figures slip compared with the first half of 2006, although their rankings remain unchanged (see table). From January to June 2007, the total number of certificates of entitlement available for passenger cars - categories A and B, plus the open category E - was 2.5 per cent lower than the year-ago period. The difference was exacerbated when the new quota year kicked in in April 2007 and Cat A (for small cars), for example, immediately had around 19 per cent fewer COEs. Among the top brands, only third-placed Honda emerged relatively unscathed with a small 0.3 per cent fall in sales from January to June 2007, compared with the same period last year. The relatively new Civic sedan continued to power up the charts, with 2,158 units registered in the first six months. In addition, the Civic Hybrid notched up 185 units, making it the top hybrid model in Singapore. The ageing Jazz was also surprisingly strong, with 1,301 units sold. In fact, authorised distributor Kah Motor says overall sales could have been higher if not for the delay in Civic and Jazz deliveries because of production bottlenecks in Japan. But the company expects the second half of the year to be smoother because of an improved production forecast from the factory. The Nissan brand was the hardest hit in percentage terms, with year-to-date volume falling by almost a third, while Toyota, including luxury division Lexus, was down by about a quarter. Ironically though, the most popular parallel imports (PI) bear either a Toyota or Honda badge, not Nissan. One out of every two parallel imports bought so far this year has been a Toyota, while two out of five were a Honda. Together, Toyota and Honda accounted for nine out of every 10 PI cars sold. The main reason behind Nissan's sharp drop is the lower sales of its once best-selling Sunny. The ageing sedan, which currently starts from $50,500 (with COE), saw only 1,376 units sold in the first six months. This compares with a whopping 4,946 in the same period last year. But the slack seems like it will soon be taken up by the Latio and Sylphy. Both registered strong first-half sales of 2,662 and 843 units respectively and look like they will take over as the new volume sellers in the near future. Also popular was the Murano sport-utility vehicle. This stylish model is the best-selling upscale SUV on the market with 240 units. Toyota sales were mainly hurt by popular PI models like the Wish, Rush and Mark X. 'The parallel importers have a big chunk of the market in terms of models in Cat A and Cat B,' says Gavin Yeo, director of sales and marketing for Toyota at Borneo Motors Singapore, the authorised distributor for Japan's biggest carmaker. 'But these are domestic Japanese models and until Toyota Motor Corp agrees to make their technical specifications similar to our export models, we will not be able to offer them.' Mr Yeo also warns that these parallel imports have technical differences from the export models which Borneo Motors offers. 'Whatever we bring into Singapore is suitable for the Singapore market,' he adds. Borneo's best-sellers continue to be the Vios, Altis and Camry sedans, with sales of the last model still especially strong. But registrations of the ageing Picnic MPV are dwindling although it is holding its ground for now. Mr Yeo said there is no news yet on when a replacement model will arrive. Cheaper parallel imports also hurt Hyundai because of the price competition. But the impact on the South Korean brand was largely mitigated by the delivery of 1,193 Sonata taxis. Among its passenger car models, the pretty Avante sedan was its best-seller with 1,286 units. Next was the diminutive but still sprightly Getz at 622.

Hi all, I'm a bit puzzled how come car sales down even with all the COE fully taken up??? with many unsuccessful bidders at that! Duh.......................... R the figures only for new cars? or incl resale cars?

It had been 10 yrs since Toyota launched it 1st hybrids till recently to reach 1 million hybrids vehicles. Will you consider a hybrid in future? From http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/07/0607.html Tokyo

Any brothers here can give some comments ? What actually does a car saleman do? Can make a decent living? any difference between new car and 2nd hand saleman? Cos im graduating soon, need to find job liao!! cheers

Hi guys, as some of you know from my other thread, my mom is getting a new car. Its going to be a sx4 and i'm wondering if you guys have any good sales reps from Champion Motors to recommend.

German marque beat rivals in S'pore last year with 21% jump in sales By SAMUEL EE (BT 24/1/07) IN LINE with its worldwide performance, Audi was the fastest-growing brand in the luxury-car segment in Singapore too last year, with sales up 21 per cent to 651 units. Audi was the only premium brand to register double-digit growth in Singapore in 2006 With the car as the only premium brand to register double-digit growth, its authorised distributor Premium Automobiles has set sights on selling 850 units this year. The German marque has been growing steadily over the past few years, with 465 units sold in 2004 and 537 units in 2005. Arguably, Audi's main competitors here have a volume of up to six times, but their sales registered only single-digit gains in 2006. For example, fellow German manufacturer BMW saw sales rise 6.1 per cent to 3,680 units, while Mercedes-Benz grew by 6.3 per cent to 3,182 units. Japan's Lexus chalked up 5.3 per cent more units to 2,045. As in previous years, the bulk of Audi models registered last year was of the A4 saloon. But the gap between the 44 per cent of A4 sold and the 33 per cent of the slightly larger A6 sedan chosen by customers is narrowing, according to Premium's chief operating officer, Marc Singleton. 'We anticipate that in 2007, the A6 will equal or surpass the A4 in volume,' he says, adding that the A6's increasing popularity is due to its wider engine options and growing brand recognition. Mr Singleton expects the A4 and A6 to account for 31 per cent each of total Audi sales in 2007. The arrival of new models will also play a part in the A4's lower contribution to overall volume. These include the A3 hatchback and its performance variant, the 265hp turbocharged S3 with quattro all-wheel-drive; as well as fun lifestyle models like the TT Coupe and the R8 supercar. Together, these two segments are expected to account for 28 per cent of total sales next year. Audi's traditional strength in the performance segment will also get a powerful boost this year, with the introduction of models like the RS4 Cabriolet and the 450hp S8 performance limousine. The latter, which has a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10, costs $455,000 and is being launched this month. These new sports models are also expected to continue playing a big role in elevating the Audi brand image. 'With the line-up of performance models, 2007 will also mark the year when Audi's offensive in the 'fun' segment will intensify,' said Mr Singleton. 'On the international motoring scene, Audi will launch the A5 Coupe and the RS6 in the second half of 2007. From a marketing viewpoint, the arrival of these models will certainly resurrect and kindle interest in other models within the Audi line-up.' He adds that Premium's after-sales service has also played a key role in its efforts to grow volume. 'Having established a strong foundation in the area of after-sales, Premium Automobiles will capitalise on this competitive advantage by highlighting our commitment to service,' he says. 'The challenge, as Audi grows in volume, is to maintain the high standards of service that our customers have come to expect from us.' Audi is the fastest-growing premium brand in the world, achieving record sales for the 11th year running. The Ingolstadt-based car-maker sold 905,000 cars last year, an increase of 9.2 per cent, and it will be announcing record revenue and earnings soon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TfbcvRg7MY

Motoring Published January 17, 2007 Borneo Motors gets new sales, marketing heads Email this article Print article ? Feedback A MANAGEMENT reshuffle at Borneo Motors Singapore has resulted in a change in the executives in charge of the Toyota and Lexus brands, whose roles have been refined. Experienced: Mr Yeo (above) was previously GM-director of Champion Motors, distributors of Suzuki, and Mr Choo was Borneo's special assistant to CEO, directorate Gavin Yeo has been appointed director of sales and marketing for Toyota and Hino, while William Choo has become director of sales and marketing for Lexus. Mr Yeo was previously GM-director of Champion Motors, which distributes Suzuki. Borneo and Champion are part of the Inchcape group of companies. Mr Choo was previously Borneo's special assistant to CEO, directorate. The two men replace former director of marketing Peh Hock Chuan and director of sales William Low. Mr Peh and Mr Low submitted their resignations some time ago and will leave the company at the end of January. Both of them are headed overseas for jobs that will be motor industry-related. Mr Low said he was head-hunted by an automotive company and will be involved in business development. He will be flying to Shanghai in late February after clearing his leave. 'Now is the best time to go to China,' he explained. 'China has a lot of opportunities and it will be good for my long-term career advancement.' Borneo will not have any transition worries because there is a 'good succession plan', he said. 'And if I don't leave, there will not be opportunities for the second liners,' he added with a laugh. Asked whether Toyota's falling market share was related to his impending departure, he said it was only a rumour. 'People always have different kinds of stories. We have been number one for five years in a row,' he said, referring to Toyota's top ranking since 2002, when it overtook Nissan to become Singapore's most popular brand. 'Our top priority is to be number one. If we can gain market share that will be good. But despite an ageing model line-up, we have still been able to retain the number one position. I think that is acceptable.' Borneo's managing director Mark Choong said Mr Low and Mr Peh were 'not pushed out'. 'They left of their accord. With their departure, we have revamped the organisation and given new opportunities to our younger managers,' Mr Choong said. 'Even though I've lost two senior managers, their replacements are experienced.' Mr Choo has been with Borneo for more than 10 years, while Mr Yeo was responsible for building up the Suzuki brand. 'In every change comes new opportunity,' Mr Choong said. Some in the motor industry have speculated that surging parallel import (PI) sales and an eroding market share are behind the management reshuffle. One particular success for the PI trade is the Wish compact MPV, which is not offered by Borneo and which chalked up 6,628 units last year to become Singapore's top MPV model by a huge margin. 'If you look at Borneo's model range, it is not new. If the car is new like the Toyota Camry, it is expensive when compared to a Japanese-made Camry brought in by a PI,' said a competitor, referring to Borneo's Thai-made Camry. The company's Corolla Altis, Vios and Yaris are also sourced from Toyota Thailand. Mr Yeo's track record in boosting Suzuki Swift sales should mean a rejuvenation of Toyota sales, the competitor said. 'Champion's high-spec Swift is better value than the PIs' and the company's marketing is also more appealing because it is geared towards lifestyle and image.'

1. I've been seeing used 15" rims like OZ, Racing Hart and etc for sales. Most of the time, these sellers upgraded to 17" rims and discard their 15". 2. In your opinion, what made a good buy from these used 15" rims market? I'm pretty happy to stay put at 15". My cat A car used to run on a set of 17" wheels. Anyway, I would like to have a set of used light weight rims from reputable makers at bargain price. Regards,

Looks like private car sales is really dying for Skoda. Aug - 5 Sept - 5 Oct - 2 Jan - Oct 57 units ONLY ..... And the whole of year 2005 is only 60 units. Looks like this year may not be much better although I've come across 2 bros who got the A5 in MCF. MVP02-2 (New Cars by make).pdf M03-Car Regn by make.pdf

RED ALERT!!!!!! Reports made after couple's Car is repossessed - by firm they had not heard of. Summary Couple bought a Suzuki swift from P.I., car was repossessed by unknown credit company. Credit company claims that P.I. originally sold the car to them, not to the couple P.I. turns out to be a $2 company!!!! LTA say it could not prevent someone from "Stealing a car and selling it as his." Potential buyers beware, check your P.I. background b4 signing the dotted line. What has become of our local motoring scene????

Japan's Mitsubishi Motors To Book Y7 Billion Special Profit In 1st Half Thursday September 28th, 2006 / 5h33 TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211.TO) said Friday that it will book a special profit of Y7 billion for the first half ended Sept. 30 from returns on its investment in a real-estate trust business. The Japanese car maker said its net results would be better than its outlook in April due to the special profit. But the company said it hasn't finalized compiling its earnings, adding that it may revise its outlook if necessary. In April, the company predicted a group net loss of Y28 billion for the first half. Mitsubishi's earnings are based on Japanese accounting standards. It plans to release its interim earnings results in late October. -By Hiroyuki Kachi, Dow Jones Newswires, 813-5255-2929, [email protected] -Edited by Shawn Schroter

1 set WET NOS kit bought from ADM at 1400 now selling 700 cash n carry! Can contact me at 91839520 thanks!

Is it worth going down to take a look? The details are in today's classified ads.

Come across this at LTA's website: http://www.lta.gov.sg/corp_info/doc/MVP02-...0by%20make).pdf If I didn't get my facts wrong, CA took over the Skoda brand from JTA arnd 2002 & sales seems to be falling since. Y2000 - 101 Y2001 - 258 Y2002 - 84 Y2003 - 85 Y2004 - 61 Y2005 - 60 Y2006 - ? It seems that CA is not helping the brand at all (definitely not with the reported selling price of Octy II !). Any comments anyone ?

Giant selling M1 15w-50 5L @ $59.90

Any Borneo Sales Here.. or can recommend me one Most likely confirm getting Altis with car trade in with in house loan.. Would like accessories and discount Do pm me the details. Serious Buyer Thanks and nice day to all.

Extracted from post in vagsg (The shocks for bora can fit the Octy) Due to scrap my ride soon. The shocks are abt 1.5 years old with 40K mileage on them. Will consider any reasonable offer, just need your original (working condition) shocks for swop. The ride quality is firm but never harsh. It's a real step up from the stock setup. Pls PM me or call 96387641.

PRAGUE : Skoda Auto, a subsidiary of the German Volkswagen group and the biggest car producer in the Czech Republic, reported an 18.5-percent surge in first quarter sales. Skoda said that sales had totalled 129,778 vehicles, a rise of 18.5 percent on a 12-month comparison. Sales increased across the board for all three models compared with figures for the first quarter of 2005, the company added. Sales of the bottom-of-the-range Fabia climbed by 7.2 percent, of the mid-range Octavia by 31.7 percent and of the top of the range Superb by 14.7 percent, it added. "Skoda Auto is therefore heading for record full year sales," the company said. Sales increased in all key markets compared with figures 12 months earlier, Skoda Auto said. In Western Europe sales rose by 17.9 percent with 74,723 vehicles sold. In central and eastern Europe the rise was 10.8 percent to 44,181 vehicles. In Asia, Africa and other overseas markets, sales rose by 73.8 percent to 10,874 vehicles. - AFP /ct http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../202502/1/.html

Guys, went to Carrefour Suntec yestrday and saw STP Injector Cleaner on sales at $6.90 per bottle. Got lotsa stock left on the shelf. Best price I've ever bought before was $6.50 but that shop closed down already... So $6.90 is IMO a very good price to grab a few bottles if you do use this.

JAPAN: Toyota's Corolla again tops annual sales chart 11 Jan 2006 Source: just-auto.com editorial team http://www.aroq.com/banners/banman.asp?Tas...domNumber=32060 Toyota