- Joined
- Aug 8, 2008
- Messages
- 3,619
- Points
- 48
http://www.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Story/A1Story20101213-252470.html
Tue, Dec 14, 2010
The New Paper
Father splurges on nice wheels for 23-year-old daughter
By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
SHE loves shopping and she adores European brands.
From Chanel to Dior, Ms Cheryl Tay likes to splurge her hard-earned $2,500 monthly income on haute couture.
When the 23-year-old banking and finance undergraduate has a date with her friends, she zooms around in a two-door Mercedes-Benz CLK 280 - a gift from her father early this year - which costs about $220,000.
Though thankful of the gift, Ms Tay said she does not receive any allowance from her parents, preferring instead to maintain her lifestyle through her own means.
She works part time in the food and beverage industry.
A $220,000 gift from her father
From Chanel to Dior, Ms Cheryl Tay likes to splurge her hard-earned $2,500 monthly income on haute couture.
When the 23-year-old banking and finance undergraduate has a date with her friends, she zooms around in a two-door Mercedes-Benz CLK 280.
The car was gift from her father early this year - which costs about $220,000.
(Photos: TNP)
Sure, cars here may be the priciest anywhere in the world, and usage including parking and fuel isn't cheap, but people are splurging on nice wheels.
Lawyer Soh Chu Bin, 36, bought a BMW M3 for about $370,000 two weeks ago.
Mr Soh says of his 4-litre car: "I have always wanted one (the M3). It's a performance car built for serious drivers. It clocks 4.6 secs doing 0 to 100kmh."
That means he makes it to the next set of lights in record time.
Pricey? In the luxury car trade, clients are paying anything from $200,000 for a car. European marques are proving popular.
At the end of August this year, Volkswagen (VW) was ranked fourth, overtaking brands like Honda, Kia and Hyundai.
Audi, in 13th spot last year, is now at the eighth spot with sales of 1,447 units - an increase of 30 per cent over the same period last year.
The top three positions, traditionally held by mass-market brands like Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, are no longer secure.
Creeping close to pole position are luxury marques Mercedes-Benz and BMW, now second and third respectively in overall ranking.
As of August, they posted sales of 3,075 and 3,024 units respectively - a big leap from Mercedes' fifth and BMW's seventh places last year.
Top cars in S'pore
Photo: TNP, Zaihan M Yusof
- The most expensive registered super car is the $3 million Pagani Zonda F (right).
- As of August, the top three selling car brands are Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
COE increases
Increasing COE prices and cuts in COE quota may have contributed to the shift.
Wednesday's COE bidding results were the highest since 2000, where COE price for cars above 1,600cc and Open category went past the $60,000 mark.
COE premiums also rose for cars 1,600cc and below - to $47,604.
These developments make premium brands "more worth it" compared to Japanese cars, said one industry watcher.
For those in the upper income bracket, fluctuations in COE prices mean little, said Mr Chris Cheah, operations manager for Luxe Car Rental.
Since November 2008, Mr Cheah has been renting out his fleet of Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and Aston Martin Vantage Roadster cars, among other super cars.
He said: "Even when the rest of the car industry was affected by the economic downturn, it seemed like business as usual for most high-end brands."
The company charges $388 a day for the rental of a $250,000 Porsche Boxster S to $3,988 for a $1 million Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.
Four Lamborghini Reventon Roadsters are heading for Singapore. Only 15 of these have been built worldwide.
Each costs about $2.1 million. If the ultra-rich owners decide to register the cars for road use, they would have to pay a total of $5 million.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
Tue, Dec 14, 2010
The New Paper
Father splurges on nice wheels for 23-year-old daughter
By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
SHE loves shopping and she adores European brands.
From Chanel to Dior, Ms Cheryl Tay likes to splurge her hard-earned $2,500 monthly income on haute couture.
When the 23-year-old banking and finance undergraduate has a date with her friends, she zooms around in a two-door Mercedes-Benz CLK 280 - a gift from her father early this year - which costs about $220,000.
Though thankful of the gift, Ms Tay said she does not receive any allowance from her parents, preferring instead to maintain her lifestyle through her own means.
She works part time in the food and beverage industry.
A $220,000 gift from her father
From Chanel to Dior, Ms Cheryl Tay likes to splurge her hard-earned $2,500 monthly income on haute couture.
When the 23-year-old banking and finance undergraduate has a date with her friends, she zooms around in a two-door Mercedes-Benz CLK 280.
The car was gift from her father early this year - which costs about $220,000.
(Photos: TNP)
Sure, cars here may be the priciest anywhere in the world, and usage including parking and fuel isn't cheap, but people are splurging on nice wheels.
Lawyer Soh Chu Bin, 36, bought a BMW M3 for about $370,000 two weeks ago.
Mr Soh says of his 4-litre car: "I have always wanted one (the M3). It's a performance car built for serious drivers. It clocks 4.6 secs doing 0 to 100kmh."
That means he makes it to the next set of lights in record time.
Pricey? In the luxury car trade, clients are paying anything from $200,000 for a car. European marques are proving popular.
At the end of August this year, Volkswagen (VW) was ranked fourth, overtaking brands like Honda, Kia and Hyundai.
Audi, in 13th spot last year, is now at the eighth spot with sales of 1,447 units - an increase of 30 per cent over the same period last year.
The top three positions, traditionally held by mass-market brands like Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, are no longer secure.
Creeping close to pole position are luxury marques Mercedes-Benz and BMW, now second and third respectively in overall ranking.
As of August, they posted sales of 3,075 and 3,024 units respectively - a big leap from Mercedes' fifth and BMW's seventh places last year.
Top cars in S'pore
Photo: TNP, Zaihan M Yusof
- The most expensive registered super car is the $3 million Pagani Zonda F (right).
- As of August, the top three selling car brands are Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
COE increases
Increasing COE prices and cuts in COE quota may have contributed to the shift.
Wednesday's COE bidding results were the highest since 2000, where COE price for cars above 1,600cc and Open category went past the $60,000 mark.
COE premiums also rose for cars 1,600cc and below - to $47,604.
These developments make premium brands "more worth it" compared to Japanese cars, said one industry watcher.
For those in the upper income bracket, fluctuations in COE prices mean little, said Mr Chris Cheah, operations manager for Luxe Car Rental.
Since November 2008, Mr Cheah has been renting out his fleet of Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and Aston Martin Vantage Roadster cars, among other super cars.
He said: "Even when the rest of the car industry was affected by the economic downturn, it seemed like business as usual for most high-end brands."
The company charges $388 a day for the rental of a $250,000 Porsche Boxster S to $3,988 for a $1 million Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.
Four Lamborghini Reventon Roadsters are heading for Singapore. Only 15 of these have been built worldwide.
Each costs about $2.1 million. If the ultra-rich owners decide to register the cars for road use, they would have to pay a total of $5 million.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
.
