On a side note - wow a 30-year old looking for aS$60,000 Corolla Altis (and he has been driving a car for 3 years already); and a 29-year old driving a Lexus! I continue to get the feeling that Singaporeans are very rich!
Feb 7, 2010
Local car buyers still keen on Toyota
By Leonard Lim
The Toyota name may have taken a battering globally, but some Singaporeans are still keen on the brand.
At its distributor Borneo Motors' Leng Kee showroom yesterday, prospective buyers continued to show up, even after news that the Japanese automaker had recalled over eight million cars across North America, China and Europe for accelerator pedal problems.
Ms Amarjeet Kaur was among 15 or so visitors to the showroom during the nearly two hours The Sunday Times was there yesterday.
'I've heard about the recalls, but the Wish has not given me any problems in all my time driving it,' said the 47-year-old, who works in the security industry.
She was there with her family to replace her three-year-old Toyota Wish with another multi-purpose vehicle. She was deciding between another Toyota Wish which is being advertised at $85,988 and a Honda Odyssey with a list price from $93,000.
Another undeterred shopper was Mr Darren Tan, who spent half an hour speaking with staff about the Corolla Altis, advertised for $65,488.
'Toyota is known for its reliability and what happened doesn't really affect me,' said Mr Tan, 30, who works in the hospitality industry and drives a three-year-old Kia.
Borneo Motors is dangling a $6,000 discount for the Corolla Altis, its bestseller.
The distributor said the accelerator problem plaguing Toyota cars overseas does not affect those in Asean, as these are fitted with accelerators from Japanese component maker Denso. The recalled cars have pedals made by American parts supplier CTS.
Although the Borneo Motors showroom was not packed yesterday, it mirrored the situation at Honda's across the road.
Sales staff said this is typical for the weekend before Chinese New Year. Most purchases are made about a month before the festive season, so buyers get their new cars before the holiday.
Used car dealers said they have not detected any noticeable drop in interest in Toyota cars in the past week. Mr Darren Ho said: 'Singaporeans still feel that Toyota is reliable.'
But some, like Mr Ian Chong, are worried. The 29-year-old, who works in the financial industry and drives a Lexus, part of Toyota's luxury range, said: 'There are certainly doubts and questions about Toyota's quality control now.'
. I did promise her I will get her a car if she gets her driver's license but she refuses to go. So she takes a taxi to school every day... Simple folks la 
