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Can he just keep it to himself .......... :angry: yahoo news: Increase petrol taxes to ease COE prices of smaller cars: economist Singapore’s government could do more to help the environment through the Budget by increasing petrol taxes and raising the certificate of entitlement (COE) quota on smaller cars, an economist from Nanyang Technological University said on Monday. Speaking at a forum organised by the Economic Society of Singapore on Budget 2014, Ng Yew Kwang, professor of economics at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said that raising petrol taxes would encourage motorists to take trips only when necessary. It would also relieve the pressure on rising COE prices, especially those for Category A vehicles, cars 1600cc and below and engine power not exceeding 97 kilowatts. He said that the government should increase the quota for the smaller vehicles to allow their COE prices to become more affordable, as these have already come close those of the bigger cars in category B. Increasing petrol taxes would offset the revenue impact from a decline in smaller cars' COE prices, he noted. The economics professor also suggested that the government increase taxes on luxurious cars and move to boost the number of taxis on the road. It had been expected by many analysts that Budget 2014, which was unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam last Friday, would raise taxes on the rich. Instead, higher duties on cigarettes, alcohol and lottery betting were announced. Ng said he wanted to see more things in the Budget that would address environmental issues. He criticised the electricity rebates announced by Tharman as being “environmentally unfriendly” as they would encourage people to consume more electricity. Tharman said that 800,000 households in HDB flats would receive one-off vouchers to offset utility bills. Ng said providing a lump sum that households could choose to spend however they wished would have been a better alternative. link: http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/increase-petrol-taxes-to-ease-coe-prices-of-smaller-cars--economist-123004170.html Increase petrol taxes to ease COE but what happen to those already on the road, burnt a bigger hole in our pockets ..... Our petrol is already not cheap per liter ...

Volkswagen will be offering two new special edition versions of the award winning Volkswagen Up! in Europe and it will be a treat for fans of rock genre of music and small city cars. Dubbed the Groove Up! and Rock Up!, both vehicles are based on the top-specification High Up! model, each bringing its own unique twist. In the cabin the Groove Up! comes with a rock friendly Fender sound system (the above picture refers to a similar system from the Beetle), complete with six speakers, a subwoofer and a 300-Watt amplifier. Additionally, the Maps & More personal infotainment device is offered as standard which along with touchscreen satellite navigation provides Bluetooth phone connectivity and music streaming

Europe is a place where electric cars (EVs) seem very viable for people to own. The governments and manufacturers over there are willing to come up or share a budget to install charging stations and the people over there are also willing to use it for short commutes and take public transport for longer trips. As such, EVs can flourish (a little) and cars by the Oslo based company THINK can sell their EVs in decent numbers. THINK must be doing well as they have introduced a 2+2 version of their Think City EV. The car is already available for sale in Europe and everything is carried over from the smaller (really small) two seat model. The car gets a 34kW electric motor that somehow enables it to cruise at 110km/h and its batteries ensure that it has a range of 100km on a full charge. It takes 8 hours for a 100% charge on a lithium battery and on a cheaper code

Honda Motor Company has announced plans to unveil their Small Car Concept at the Delhi Auto Expo in India from 5 Jan to 11 2010. The whole idea of this particular concept car is to create a small and affordable Honda especially for India and other developing countries. Honda aren't the only Japanese car maker to attempt a break through in the 'small and affordable car' segment. Toyota has also scheduled to release the "Entry Family Car". And as you can probably tell, the name itself speaks volumes about the simplicity of the car that they will be producing for the emerging countries. This new phenomenon is catching on with car makers these days, making their cars smaller, more efficient and greener. I wonder if cars these days, especially in this segment, are getting more and more boring. They look tiny, don't have much space, and claim to be very kind to the environment. But the fact of the matter is, if you stuff the car full with the average sized adult, the car is not going to be very light. No matter what kind of new age plastic or fabric that is dumped into the car, its still going to be underpowered and therefore you're foot will need to be buried in the carpet for you to experience any sign of decent acceleration. I think what they should do is just make more powerful engines with less pollutants. Car-makers please just meddle with the engines, I'd rather have my space and legroom back. Other than the Small Concept, Honda will also unveil the CR-Z concept 2009 which has already had its fair share of exposure to the limelight during the Tokyo Motor Show in 2009. Honda's humanoid robot ASIMO will also be showing off his moves at the Delhi Auto Expo. With the booth concept of "Inspired by Dynamism - Truly Honda by Nature" Honda will express its tireless challenge for the development of advanced technologies and environmental technologies for the next generation. With that said, this 'Small Car' thing is still remarkably hideous, though its not really surprising when you look at the man behind it.

[extract] Can you imagine a phalanx of Tata Nanos all travelling in the same direction with little to distinguish them from one another besides the different shades of colours? You can