Fast Lane: Car Expo, Mercedes-AMG One, Income EV Insurance, Norton on auction
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The Car Expo at Singapore Expo on April 13.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Hot cars and sweet deals
More than 40 exhibitors will be at The Car Expo event, which is happening at Halls 3 and 4 of Singapore Expo on Oct 5 and 6 from 10am to 8pm.
The first 1,000 visitors to the show each day will receive an umbrella worth $20. The first 50 shoppers who spend $80 on car accessories in a single receipt will get a $10 SPC voucher. Those who book a new or pre-owned car at the event will receive up to $1,000 worth of SPC vouchers.
Making its first public appearance is the Dongfeng Box. Roughly the size of a Honda Jazz, this is a compact electric vehicle (EV) with a 42.3kWh battery and an operating range of up to 430km. The Car Expo is the first time that Dongfeng is making an appearance, after the Chinese brand was launched officially in Singapore on Sept 25.
Omoda, an EV brand from Chinese carmaker Chery, will be unveiling the 99kW version of its E5 sport utility vehicle at the expo. The power rating qualifies the E5 for the Category A certificate of entitlement (COE), complementing the 150kW version, which was launched earlier.
Two other first-time participants at the event are Xpeng and Zeekr. They join Dongfeng and Omoda to be among the 10 car brands with Chinese roots.
Familiar brands represented at the event include Aion, BMW, BYD, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Polestar, Suzuki and Toyota.
The Car Expo is organised by SPH Media, which publishes The Straits Times.
Mercedes-AMG One breaks its own Ring record
Fast lane: At least one of the 275 units of the Mercedes-AMG One has landed in Singapore.
PHOTO: MERCEDES-BENZ
The Mercedes-AMG One, an ultra-exclusive 1,063hp hybrid sports car featuring Formula One-derived engine technology, has managed to break its own Nurburgring lap record by more than six seconds, with a time of six minutes and 29.09 seconds. This is the first production car to dip below the 6 min 30 sec mark on the famed Nurburgring track in Germany.
The record was set by German race driver Maro Engel, who was also responsible for the 2022 record.
He said: “Two years ago, the conditions were not ideal, and some sections of the track were still a little damp. We knew we could do more, and we wanted to show that. Today, we were able to demonstrate the maximum potential of the AMG One. Many thanks to the whole team from Affalterbach for the trust they’ve placed in me.”
It is not uncommon for carmakers to claim race car-inspired technology, but the One is truly at another level. Its 1,063hp output comes from a turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 engine, which was derived from Mercedes’ actual F1 racer. The level of engineering needed to make such an extreme motor suitable for road use was said to have caused delays in delivering the customer cars.
Mercedes is building just 275 units of this car. Said to cost at least €2.3 million (S$3.3 million), all have been spoken for.
The Straits Times understands that at least one unit of this road racer has been delivered to a customer in Singapore. But being a left-hand-drive car, it is unlikely that it will be seen on public roads.
Racing Norton on auction
Under the hammer: The first Norton F1R is expected to fetch as much as $95,000 at an auction later in October.
PHOTO: H&H CLASSICS
The first Norton F1R racing motorcycle produced will be up for auction on Oct 30 at the National Motorcycle Museum in Britain by H&H Classics, an automotive auction house.
The rotary engine F1R was built on April 1, 1990, and has belonged to the same owner. The engine was rebuilt a few years ago with upgraded internals and exhaust system. The auction house expects the motorcycle to fetch between £52,000 (S$88,475) and £56,000.
Those looking to put in a bid for the F1R can register at www.handh.co.uk.
Motor insurance for EVs
Mobile cover: Income Insurance’s eDrivo car insurance includes a 24/7 emergency mobile rescue, which provides a fast-charging service for policy holders whose EV runs out of charge while on the road.
PHOTO: INCOME INSURANCE
Income Insurance has launched a new comprehensive insurance coverage policy for EVs. Called eDrivo, the policy includes EV-specific features.
Among them is an emergency mobile rescue service. EV owners who are stranded because of flat batteries can call a mobile charging service to give the EV a 30-minute fast charge. This should give the EV sufficient operating range to reach the next available charger.
The insurer said the policy holder can call its dedicated accident response team, known as Income Orange Force. The team can be deployed to the accident site if required, provide roadside accident assistance and help with filling up the accident report statement.
The insurer said that to better support EV owners, members of the response team are equipped with knowledge on safety precautions related to such vehicles.
As a cost option, eDrivo can also include coverage for damage to the policy holder’s private EV charging station. Income Insurance said it saw the need to tailor its insurance policy to EV owners, given the rising popularity of such vehicles in Singapore.
