Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport.
Podcaster: Lee Nian Tjoe
Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong
A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.
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From keen pricing to guaranteeing the resale value of its electric vehicle, BYD is bent on staying on top.
Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport.
BYD has been in Singapore for more than a decade before it became the country’s biggest selling car brand among authorised distributors. Mr James Ng, the managing director for Singapore and the Philippines, is doubling down on efforts to ensure that BYD extends its lead, not just for passenger cars, but also for public buses and commercial vehicles.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:44 BYD, the same company that made surgical masks during the Covid-19 pandemic
8:44 Eyes a fourth dealer to grow its retail network
14:00 Dealers are free to be creative with their services, but BYD prices are fixed
32:44 We will definitely not be starting a taxi company
34:41 Unsurprising if EV adoption comes up to 50 per cent in 2025
From parents of newborns to riders who dismantle their motorcycles to evade repossession, this man has seen them all.
Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport.
What happens when a hire-purchase car goes missing or when a marriage turns sour and the fighting parties want their assets back? They call on repossessors like Mr Jim Koh, who has been in the repossession-cum-towing trade for nearly 20 years.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:31 The difference between a towing service and repossessing a vehicle
5:10 Repossessing a vehicle can turn nasty
14:41 Job hazards of being run over or pelted with eggs
21:54 When Jim is compassionate when repossessing vehicles
Why COE bidding gives this seasoned motor dealer a heartache
Season 1 · Episode 12
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 • Duration 35:28
A seasoned motor industry insider says the COE system is bad for health because of the stress that comes with not knowing “the full picture”.
Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Singapore seems to be tracking well. In 2023, 18.2 per cent of all new car registrations were EVs. This was up from 11.7 per cent in 2022.
In this episode, host Lee Nian Tjoe speaks with Ms Sabrina Sng, managing director at Wearnes Automotive. This seasoned motor dealer - with 20 years of experience - believes that uncertainty over the price outlook of certificate of entitlement (COEs) is discouraging the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).
This is worsened by what she considers to be a premature cut in incentives to encourage EV adoption.
Highlights (click/tap above):
7:30 Call for changes to the COE bidding system - why motor dealers want to cut out companies, like those in private hire, from bidding for COEs because they distort the market
12:00 Reduction of various incentives to encourage EV adoption came too soon
19:38 High COE premiums have pushed up prices of EVs, diminishing the distinction between premium and mass market
21:40 Making the case for EVs to have higher tax rebates
26:42 Does Tesla still have an edge in the automotive world?
How are the 3,000-plus chargers at the HDB carparks being used today?
Season 1 · Episode 11
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 • Duration 38:09
The head of the EV-electric shares some of the learnings from Singapore’s electrification journey.
Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
The pace of EV charger deployment at HDB carparks in 2024 will likely be slower than in the previous year - at least initially - before things pick up speed again. According to EV-Electric's chief executive, Mr Derek Tan, the target is to have another 700 or so chargers ready by 2024 and another 700 by the end of 2025.
The head of the company set up by the Land Transport Authority to coordinate the roll-out of Singapore’s public EV charging network said that the data shows that the bulk of the charging at the housing estates happen at night. As EVs become more popular, will we see users fighting over who gets to use the chargers when they return home from work?
Highlights (click/tap above):
5:50 The expected slowing down in the rate of charger deployment in 2024 and how every HDB carpark is different
12:05 The struggle between taking up a parking space for charging versus the needs of those who do not drive an EV
15:00 Data shows that 60 per cent of charging happens overnight
17:30 Ideas to encourage better charging etiquette - from fines to imposing a minimum spend
30:00 The one technological development that will turbocharge the deployment of chargers.
36:20 Why there should be parity in terms of the total cost of owning and using an EV with an internal combustion engine option.
The story behind the 312 “redistributed” motorcycle COEs
Season 1 · Episode 10
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 • Duration 51:03
The head of the industry body for motorcycle sellers and workshops recounts how the association has been pushing for change, from COEs to rules on safety equipment
Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
With all the attention on certificate of entitlement (COEs) for cars, it is easy to forget about the motorcycles, which are the smallest of all vehicle types on the road.
But as this conversation with Mr Rex Tan, president of the Singapore Motor Cycle Trade Association reveals, the industry body has a big voice, and the Government is listening, from asking for reviews to the COE supply to rules on safety equipment.
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:10 The price is right! If you are talking about motorcycle COE premiums.
15:25 Why the motorcycle insurance premium seems so high
20:40 The practice of penalties for paying back loans early
25:00 What consumers have to do to avoid getting a bad financing deal
26:15 The saying about the rider protecting the motorcycle
27:30 An ongoing push to review motorcycle helmet safety standards
No other car company has invested as much as Porsche to sell cars to consumers in Singapore with a high-end “studio” in the heart of the city. How is it working?
Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
Cars in Singapore are the most expensive in the world. In this episode, ST's senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe visits the Porsche Studio Singapore in Guoco Midtown along Beach Road, to speak with Mr Brendan Mok, head of PR and communications at Porsche Asia Pacific.
They discuss how the German sportscar brand is going to sell more units in Singapore.
Highlights (click/tap above):
4:30 What is so different about how Porsche is selling cars in Singapore?
17:20 How frequently do car companies review their contracts with dealers?
19:00 Answering the EV question
23:25 Only one in five Porsches sold are actually “sports cars”
28:30 Porsche’s sales projection for Singapore in 2024
36:30 When there will be a garage sale of Porsche in Singapore
Produced by: Lee Nian Tjoe (niantjoel@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh, T Kumar & Willy Wong
How used car dealers make money; tips for selling your car
Season 1 · Episode 8
Tuesday, January 30, 2024 • Duration 38:14
As it turns out, it is not from the mark-up on the car itself that pays the bulk of the bills for used car dealerships
Synopsis: In this new podcast, The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
Almost 60 per cent of those who sell their cars, are looking for another one. This means that the business of used cars will continue.
ST's senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe speaks with Mr Kuanyu Tan, the country manager of Carro, a used car dealership that buys and claims to sell 6,000 cars a year, to understand the business and what it means to the car buyer.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:20 Where do used cars go? How do used car dealers get inventory financing?
6:10 Are used cars really more affordable than new cars? Price trends in relation to COE prices
17:36 Top two tips for car owners to get the best deal when selling their vehicles
20:48 How long is too long for a car dealer to hold on to their stock?
26:30 Carro's scheme to “test-own” electric vehicles in Singapore, to help educate consumers about EVs
29:40 Why used car dealers are not making offers for electric vehicles
Why a single female pays less for motor insurance than a married one
Season 1 · Episode 7
Thursday, December 28, 2023 • Duration 47:48
How premiums are calculated and how making a claim does not mean a higher premium renewal.
Synopsis: In this new podcast, The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
It is compulsory for all vehicles to have third-party insurance and vehicles that are under financing are required to have comprehensive insurance policies.
To find out how motorists can avoid some of the pitfalls of getting coverage for their vehicles, ST’s senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe speaks with Mr Douglas Chia, the chief executive of Eazy, an insurance brokerage.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:33 Why does it seem that motor insurance premiums are always going up, even when the car is getting older?
10:00 A married male driver pays less for insurance than an unmarried one, but the opposite is true for female drivers: an unmarried one is deemed to be less risky than a married one
21:33 How the No Claim Discount (NCD) protector does not work to the motorist’s benefit
28:00 Why accidents in rental cars are so shockingly expensive
33:49 Horror stories of exorbitant claims from staged accidents
44:35 What happens if the other party runs away in an accident?
A motor trader with more than 25 years experience in the industry, gives his perspective.
Synopsis: In this new podcast, The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
With the big swings in the price for certificates of entitlement (COEs) in recent tender exercises, ST’s senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe hosts Mr Nicholas Wong, general manager of Kah Motor, to get his views on some suggestions to address the issue.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:30 Would COE prices come down if we adopt the “pay as you bid” system?
6:26 Car buyers bid for COEs themselves: Is that advisable?
9:17 Cash payment only for COEs, no financing allowed: How feasible?
13:10 Addressing the problem with electric vehicles in the COE system
18:00 "Let’s just do away with Open category COEs": Mr Nicholas Wong explains why
28:25 The types of hybrid technologies in the market today
38:00 Why hybrids are disadvantaged under the current system
Should the COE system be revamped? 2 motor industry veterans have their say
Season 1 · Episode 5
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 • Duration 34:40
Motor industry veterans pitch their ideas to bring down premiums.
Synopsis: In this new podcast, The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends.
Certificate of entitlement (COE) premiums have doubled from what they were a year ago with expectations that they will continue to rise. This translates to higher vehicle prices.
To understand what is driving up COE prices and what can be done about it, host Lee Nian Tjoe speaks with two motor industry veterans - Mr Neo Tiam Ting, President of Singapore Vehicle Traders Association, and Mr Neo Nam Heng, adviser to the Automobile Importer and Exporter Association and chairman of diversified motor group Prime.
Highlights (click/tap above):
5:48 Why the industry experts say that it is the private-hire fleet owners that are driving up the COE.
7:40 We appeal to have a “lock-in period” for car ownership like it is with HDB flats.
12:35 Car rental companies are having it too easy.
21:45 How the industry appealed for changes to the COE system in 2012 for taxis.
23:30 Why cars will become even more expensive in 2024.
28:00 Are there good bargains for vehicles in the market today?
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