Toyota marks 60th year in Thailand with two truck concepts
Toyota Motor president Akio Toyoda unveiled two new concept trucks in Bangkok on Wednesday, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Japanese marque’s operations in Thailand.
The first is the IMV 0 low-cost, a Lego-like modular truck where buyers can customise and switch among different cargo-bed configurations. It is expected to be launched in Thailand in about a year.
The second truck – the full-electric Hilux Revo BEV (battery electric vehicle) – is still in early development.
No further details are available, including whether they will eventually come to Singapore.
Longer range for Opel Mokka-e
The Opel Mokka-e will get a higher capacity battery, with 54kWh instead of the current 50kWh unit. This increases its declared range by 20 per cent to 403km.
Peak power has also gone up from the current 97kW to 116kW, but maximum torque remains at 260Nm. The car can be juiced up with chargers of up to 100kW, which allows it to go from empty to 80 per cent full in 30 minutes.
Opel is slated to be an all-electric brand by 2028.
Polestar’s second collab with moped maker
Electric carmaker Polestar and electric two-wheeler start-up Cake – both Swedish – have unveiled a second Polestar edition of the Makka moped, in the sky colour first shown on the Polestar electric roadster concept.
The first edition of the Cake Makka Polestar edition, in Polestar Snow matt colour, was launched in 2021.
Besides its bespoke colour, the Polestar edition features a slim headlight and dampers from high-end suspension company Ohlins (also found in the twin-motor variant of the Polestar 2). The new edition adds a detachable, configurable rear carrier.
The Cake Makka Polestar edition has a top speed of 45kmh and two ride modes.
More durable batteries on the cards
A team of scientists led by Professor Naoaki Yabuuchi of Yokohama National University has developed a new type of electrode material for batteries which does not diminish after repeated charge and discharge cycles.
The development could pave the way for long-life, high-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, and would be a boon to solid-state batteries, which promise higher energy density per kilogram and safer operation.
Least reliable used cars in Britain
Warrantywise, a used car warranty company in the United Kingdom, has revealed the least reliable second-hand car brands in the country.
Based on its extensive data, the company found that premium European makes account for the bulk of the 10 least reliable cars compared with Asian brands.
Porsche was found to be the least reliable manufacturer overall, scoring 35.1 out of 100, followed by Land Rover, which has the highest bill for electrical repairs.
More than 131,000 warranty plans were compared between 2021 and 2022.
VW Singapore managing director retires
Volkswagen Singapore managing director (MD) Ricky Tay has stepped down as of Dec 1.
The 66-year-old, who has clocked more than 40 years in the motor trade, is retiring. Mr Kurt Leitner, his co-managing director since 2019, is taking over. Mr Tay, the only Singaporean who has headed the local unit of the German automotive giant, will leave the company officially in end-March 2023.
Since his appointment as MD here in January 2016, Mr Tay has turned around VW’s poor service reputation, reintroduced sister brand Skoda, weathered the global Dieselgate scandal which slowed sales to a crawl and, most recently, the pandemic and the worldwide supply chain crisis which also dampened sales.
Mr Leitner, 56, has more than three decades of automotive experience, starting with Porsche Holding Salzburg, Europe’s largest car distributor, in 1988.
Britons’ interest in EVs waning
The appetite for electric vehicles among drivers in Britain is waning amid rising costs of living and energy prices, according to a study by British motor firm Auto Trader.
EVs represented 27 per cent of new car inquiries being sent to retailers through Auto Trader in June, when petrol reached almost £2 (S$3.30) a litre. But by November, as energy prices rose and fuel prices softened, EVs accounted for 19 per cent of the inquiries, according to the latest edition of Auto Trader’s Road to 2030 Report.
The report also found that, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, year-on-year demand for used EVs is in decline – with a 12.6 per cent slide in the past 12 months. On the back of this, used EV inventory has doubled from 10,600 in at the start of 2021 to 20,600 in the third quarter of 2022.
