POST/MAIL OF THE MONTH
POST/MAIL OF THE MONTH
POST YOUR QUESTIONS, comments or suggestions on our Facebook page (www.fb.com/torque.singapore) or e-mail us (magtorque@sph.com.sg).
AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING WILL SAVE LIVES IF IT’S MADE MANDATORY
ROY
Imagine for a moment if all our cars had autonomous emergency braking (AEB).
Pedestrian deaths/injuries will be greatly reduced, and so will rear-end accidents, vehicle pileups, traffic congestion and the related social costs.
Seatbelts and airbags save lives when the accident has occurred. AEB greatly improves the chances of avoiding the accident. AEB helps alert the driver that a potentially dangerous situation has started. AEB has at least four stages, starting from visual, audio and, finally, braking.
The local motor trade’s authorised dealers do not seem to tick the option box when it comes to safety features like AEB. Cars fitted with the feature in other countries/markets seem to lose it when they come here.
Is it because this reduces the cost of the car and therefore indirectly increases the profit? Should the Singapore Government zero-rate taxes on safety- related features?
Volvo, I believe, was one of the first to introduce AEB to the motoring mainstream, even though Volvo cars are quite expensive due to high markup.
If Singapore wants to be a leading country among smart nations, I find it ironic that cars here lack an important yet inexpensive safety feature such as autonomous emergency braking.
To safer roads.
Torque
Thanks for your thought-provoking letter about making AEB mandatory in Singapore (Roy’s letter was also e-mailed to the Minister for Transport, Ministry of Transport, Singapore Police Force and The Straits Times editor).
OUTLANDISH IDEAS?
MICHAEL CHONG
Why doesn’t Mitsubishi sell the plug-in hybrid electric Outlander PHEV at the same price as the regular petrol Outlander and give the battery a 10-year warranty to attract buyers? [Torque website story: Mitsubishi’s SUV lineup is ready to meet the needs of various Singaporean lifestyles].
Torque
The $40k price difference between the sophisticated 2-litre Outlander PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and the straightforward 2.4-litre Outlander pays for the cleverer car’s advanced Mitsubishi technology such as Twin Motor 4WD, Super All Wheel Control and electric/series-hybrid/parallel-hybrid drive modes.
Offering a 10-year warranty for the high-tech drive battery of the Outlander PHEV would certainly boost the vehicle’s appeal.
ACCORDED THE RIGHT TO ASK
WEE GUAN
Dear editor, do you know whether the new 2018 Honda Accord (with 10-speed automatic) launched in the US will also be launched in Singapore? If yes, when would the local launch be?
The COE of my current car is expiring in December 2018 and I am looking to replace it with the new Accord, having read consistently good reviews about it. I wrote to Honda Kah Motor, but did not receive any response.
I would greatly appreciate if you could shed some light on my question above. Thank you.
Torque
We asked Kah Motor and their marketing manager’s reply was: “We do not have any official news on the launch of the upcoming new-generation Accord”. She also provided an e-mail address, showroom@honda.com.sg, for interested parties such as Wee Guan to be kept updated on the latest Honda product news in Singapore.
CZECH-IN TIME
“OUTBACK”
This is to be expected – [Torque Facebook post: We’re live now at the relaunch of Skoda in Singapore under VGS, with its new showroom at 26 Leng Kee Road.] The Skoda model range is too good not to be offered to the world’s costliest city, where all premium stuff can be found.
Torque
Czech out our review of the Skoda Kodiaq on pg 66.
CULLINAN “MEETS” BENTAYGA
JAY NG
I always thought the Bentley Bentayga was ugly, but put it beside the Rolls- Royce Cullinan (below) and I’m really starting to appreciate the Bentley’s beauty! [Torque Facebook poll: If you were an ultra high net worth Phua Chu Kang, would you prefer driving to the construction site in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan or a Bentley Bentayga?]
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