Golf GTI turns 50, new Lotus showroom in Leng Kee Rd, Mercedes-Benz CLA aces European safety test

Volkswagen celebrates Golf GTI’s 50th anniversary

Volkswagen set the template of the modern performance hatchback when it delivered the first Golf GTI in 1976. This was a quick and practical hatchback that outperformed cars costing much more.

To mark the 50th anniversary, a series of major classic events in Europe will have the Golf GTI as the focus, starting with the Retromobile event in Paris, France, from Jan 28 to Feb 1.

Just as significantly, Volkswagen is slated to unveil the ID. Polo GTI in 2026. This will be the first electric GTI in the history of the nameplate.

When it made its debut, the first-generation GTI had a peppy 109hp, 1.6-litre engine powering the front wheels. In contrast, non-GTI versions of the Golf had as little as 50hp from a 1.1-litre engine. The hot hatch also had design upgrades like the red grille surround, black wheel arch extensions and a dimpled golf ball gear knob.

The car was fast in its time, claiming a 0-100kmh time of nine seconds and a top speed of 182kmh – quicker than sports cars that cost more, while also being more practical.

Originally, a total production run of only 5,000 units was planned, but dealers sold 10 times as many in the first year alone.

Lotus’ new home in Leng Kee Road

English sports car brand Lotus is moving into a new showroom at 28 Leng Kee Road. Opening on Jan 7, the new space will showcase Lotus’ entire line-up, from the mid-engine Emira to the electric Emeya grand tourer to the Eletre sport utility vehicle.

Located within the same complex is the Nio showroom, which will open later. The Chinese electric car brand is the latest addition to motor group Wearnes Automotive’s portfolio of brands.

The new Lotus showroom replaces the one across the road at 45 Leng Kee Road, which houses some of the other brands carried by Wearnes Automotive, including Ducati, Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover.

Mercedes-Benz CLA gets five stars for safety

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA has aced the independent safety test conducted by Euro NCAP, a European voluntary new car assessment programme. The compact four-door saloon was among the final batch of cars to be tested for 2025, which included the new Mazda CX-5 from Japan, Porsche Cayenne from Germany and Deepal S05 from China.

Awarded five out of five stars, the CLA was found to offer good crash protection and performed well in terms of child occupant protection, as well as in protecting pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. It will be in Singapore in the first half of 2026.

While the other models in this batch of tests also scored well, the independent testing body singled out the Deepal S05’s driver monitoring system, noting that it was a downgraded version of the one in the larger S07.

This is because the S05’s system allowed the driver to permanently disable distraction alerts instead of addressing user complaints and improving the system’s overall robustness.

Separately, the Australasian NCAP gave the 1.5-litre Suzuki Fronx a rating of just one out of five stars. This is the only one-star car on the test body’s website to be still on sale in Australia and New Zealand.

The test report stated that the compact crossover’s rear passenger seatbelt retractor failed during the full-width frontal test. This led to the dummy in the rear becoming unrestrained, allowing it to strike the back of the front seat.

In response, Suzuki has advised its customers to stop using the rear seats of the Fronx until it has completed its investigation and perform any needed work on the car. According to the Australian government, there are 249 affected units.