More international brands of cab models hit the road in
2008.
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent
Published: December 27 2007,
The Straits Times
WHEN news broke in May 1996 that taxi operator CityCab had ordered
a fleet of Mercedes-Benz E-class cars, Mercedes agent Cycle &
Carriage's phones rang off the hook.
Scores of customers who had booked that car wanted to cancel their
orders. Others wanted to switch to a different model.
Nobody wanted their new car to be white - the colour of Singapore's
maiden fleet of Mercedes taxis.
But times have changed. Today, nobody seems to mind buying a car
that is the same model as a taxi. 'White is even coming back,' says
Cycle & Carriage chief executive of motor operations Cheah Kim
Teck.
Part of the reason why attitudes have changed, he thinks, is that
these days 'all manner of cars are taxis'.
He is right - there are now about two dozen different cab models on
the road, up from just six as recently as three years ago. Many of
these include such popular cars as the Toyota Wish, Honda Stream,
Honda Airwave, Hyundai Sonata and Kia Magentis.
The change followed Singapore's adoption of the Euro IV emission
standard in October last year for new diesel vehicles in a bid to
reduce the amount of particulate matter in the air.
The pollutant - described as ultra-fine soot - is identified as a
health hazard as it can be lodged in the deep recesses of the
lungs. Diesel vehicles are believed to be a major
contributor.
But vehicles meeting the Euro IV standard produce far less
particulate matter and other pollutants than the Euro II models
previously allowed here.
The standard, however, meant the Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric -
models that once made up nine out of 10 taxis here - could no
longer be imported. Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor do not have Euro
IV substitutes yet.
Toyota distributor Borneo Motors says an Indonesian-assembled
minivan called the Innova might be ready in 2009 to meet the Euro
IV ruling.
The new standard also wiped out the London cab, operated by SMRT
Corp.
'London cabs do not meet Euro IV standards,' says SMRT spokesman
Goh Chee Kong, adding that no Euro IV replacement is in
sight.
From as early as 2004, cab operators started looking for suitable
replacements for their taxis and some of their choices have proven
unconventional, to say the least.
For instance, the Toyota Hilux, a popular pick-up truck, is now a
yellow-top cab. Borneo Motors has sold seven so far.
There is also a solitary Toyota Liteace panel van, which The
Straits Times understands has proven unpopular with commuters. Taxi
giant ComfortDelGro Corp, owner of the Liteace cab, is exploring
another van which meets Euro IV standards: the huge Hyundai
Starex.
SMRT has gone for another huge Korean: the Ssangyong Rodius, one of
the biggest MPVs around.
Two preceding Hyundai models are now a common sight at taxi queues:
the Sonata and the Azera. The former has a clone from Kia (a
Hyundai-affiliated company) called Magentis, which is used by
Premier Taxis. The latter is a Korean sedan bigger than the
Mercedes-Benz E-class, and is a limo cab.
From an initial cool reception, taxi drivers have warmed up to the
Hyundais.
Cabby Tony Pang, 58, who recently took delivery of a Sonata, says:
'It is very good. Quiet and smooth. And it consumes less diesel
than the old Toyota Crown.'
Other new cab models on the road today include unlikely candidates
such as Skodas, Volkswagens, Peugeots and Fiats.
This is the first time operators are trying out European brands
besides Mercedes-Benz since CityCab ran a small fleet of Opels in
the 1990s. There were no repeat orders because the cars were found
to be not as hardy as Japanese ones.
But it was the arrival of the newest taxi operator - parallel
importer Prime Leasing - in September that brought the biggest slew
of new cab models. These include popular passenger cars such as the
Toyota Wish, Honda Stream, Honda Airwave, Honda Stepwagon, Toyota
Corolla Fielder and Toyota Corolla Axio. The Toyota Estima, a big
premium MPV, will be added to the list soon.
This marks the first time Hondas are being used as cabs here.
Prime Leasing's cars are petrol-driven models converted to run also
on compressed natural gas (CNG). As such, they are accorded a green
rebate equivalent to about 40 per cent of the vehicles' open market
value, as CNG is deemed a cleaner alternative to diesel.
These new taxis look a tad out of place because of their smaller
dimensions, compared with most other cabs.
Prime managing director Neo Nam Heng says these cabs - numbering
about 60 now - are a hit with taxi drivers because they are 'quiet
and good for their health'.
But he admits that commuters may not always recognise them as
taxis.
Asked if the myriad of cab models might be confusing to taxi users,
especially tourists, ComfortDelGro spokesman Tammy Tan thinks
not.
'We make sure that all our models, save for the premium range, are
painted in either Comfort blue or CityCab yellow,' she said. 'This
is how commuters can distinguish our cabs.'
Meanwhile, the proliferation of new cabs has begun to affect some
Japanese car sales the way Mercedes sales were initially hit.
Mr Eddie Lo, sales manager of Toyota parallel importer Richburg
Motors, complains: 'No one wants a car that is the same as a taxi.
The demand for the Toyota Wish has decreased by more than 50 per
cent.'
Prime Leasing's Mr Neo, however, believes the impact will prove
only temporary - just like the Mercedes experience.
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