The Road Ahead

The local bosses of Audi and BMW talk about what 2018 will hold for the industry and their respective brands.

- Daryl Lee

Singapore’s car industry is bracing for some big changes in 2018. Besides a new vehicular emissions scheme that takes more than just carbon dioxide into account, vehicle population growth is set to be cut to zero (from 0.25 per cent).

Suffice it to say, brands have a smaller pie to fight over and annual sales will inevitably be lower than in 2017.

I caught up with two key industry executives – Jeff Mannering of Audi and Paul de Courtois of BMW – on the sidelines of the recently concluded Singapore Motor Show to find out what we can expect in the months to come.

JEFF MANNERING Managing director, Audi Singapore

“Singapore is an interesting market. It’s so unique, every few years there’s a curve ball that comes from the government, but the thing is, it’s an even playing field for everybody,” says Mannering.

“We have to make sure the product (that Audi offers here) is right, such as focusing more on smaller engines when the 130hp limit was imposed on Category A cars.”

Case in point: a new electric car from Audi will arrive in Singapore from the middle of 2019 according to Mannering, most likely taking advantage of a backdrop of new emissions regulations that make it slightly friendlier for pure electric cars.

But as with BMW, where to charge it will be an issue. While BMW has partnered with Greenlots, Audi is going its own way. Mannering would not reveal exact plans, but he did say buyers of an electric Audi would be taken care of from start to finish.