Car review: Audi Q6 e-tron quattro is a fine-riding EV, saddled with a hefty road tax bill
SINGAPORE – Electric vehicles (EVs), especially if they are all-wheel drive and dual motor, are great fun. But the high road tax they attract can dent their appeal.
Few models have it as bad as the Audi Q6 e-tron quattro. This sleek and luxurious sport utility vehicle (SUV) costs the owner $6,058 in annual road tax.
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Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Singapore Shopping Centre relaunched for collective sale at lower $200m asking price
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The asking price of $200 million is 21.6 per cent lower than the $255 million reserve price in 2020. SINGAPORE - The strata owners of Singapore Shopping Centre are making another attempt at a collective sale – this time at a lower asking price of $200 million, down 21.6 per cent from the $255 million reserve price listed in its previous attempt in 2020. The lower asking price translates to a land rate of between $2,800 and $3,500 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr), depending on the proposed land use and development intensity. Spanning 2,449.8 square metres (sq m), the site is zoned for commercial use with a 4.2 plot ratio under the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Draft Master Plan 2019. It can be redeveloped for hotel use at the same plot ratio, or the existing building can be adaptively repurposed for hotel use based on its current gross floor area, reflecting an equivalent plot ratio of 5.1296. The subdivision of commercial properties is generally not allowed along Orchard Road, However, the Singapore Shopping Centre site lies just outside this URA-designated zone, said sole marketing agent ETC on Aug 18. 'This gives the developer the flexibility to strata-subdivide the space if desired.' ETC has submitted an enquiry to the authorities to renew the lease to a fresh 99-year period. Swee Shou Fern, head of investment advisory at ETC, said: 'With the precinct undergoing a wave of transformation, from green public spaces like Dhoby Ghaut Green to upcoming new developments, we see strong potential for this site to become a new anchor for this end of Orchard Road.' She added: 'Combined with the flexibility for redevelopment or adaptive reuse, this property offers developers limitless potential to create a standout destination in one of Singapore's most recognisable corridors.' The seven-storey retail and office development, located at 190 Clemenceau Avenue, is opposite Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. It has a triple-road frontage onto Clemenceau Avenue, Penang Road and Penang Lane. The development has an existing gross floor area of about 12,566.5 sq m. The building is in close proximity to 9 Penang road which houses UBS, Plaza Singapura, MacDonald House that will be occupied by private members' club Vanta, as well as the Singapore Management University. The building was first launched for collective sale in July 2019 at a reserve price of $255 million. It was relaunched half a year later at an unchanged reserve price, but there were no takers then either.
Straits Times
24 minutes ago
- Straits Times
German minister says China ‘increasingly aggressive'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Mr Wadephul also criticised 'China's support for the Russian war machine' in Ukraine. TOKYO - Germany's foreign minister hit out on Aug 18 at what he called China's repeated threats to 'unilaterally change' borders in the Asia-Pacific region, calling Beijing 'increasingly aggressive'. 'China repeatedly threatens, more or less openly, to unilaterally change the status quo and shift borders in its favour,' Mr Johann Wadephul said in Japan, citing China's behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas. 'Any escalation in this sensitive hub of international trade would have serious consequences for global security and the world economy,' Mr Wadephul said after talks with Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya. A statement issued on Aug 17 before Mr Wadephul's visit to Japan – and later Indonesia – said that China was 'increasingly asserting its regional supremacy and, in doing so, is also questioning principles of international law.' 'China's increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas also has implications for us in Europe: fundamental principles of our global coexistence are at stake here,' the statement quoted Mr Wadephul as saying. In the joint press statement in Tokyo, Mr Wadephul also criticised 'China's support for the Russian war machine' in Ukraine. 'Without it, the war of aggression against Ukraine would not be possible. China is Russia's largest supplier of dual-use goods and Russia's best oil and gas customer,' Mr Wadephul said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025 a rallying cry amid significant challenges facing Singapore, say analysts Singapore NDR 2025: The case for growing old at home in super-ageing Singapore Singapore WP urges Government to engage widely, explore all solutions following National Day Rally 2025 Opinion A 'we first' Singapore is the hardest policy for PM Lawrence Wong to deliver Singapore Age Well Neighbourhoods, job-matching by CDCs: 10 highlights from PM Wong's National Day Rally speech Singapore LTA, public transport operators join anti-vaping effort with stepped-up enforcement World Trump, tech and Texas: What's next for the US? Singapore 3 foreigners arrested for working illegally as delivery riders in Singapore: Koh Poh Koon He also said ahead of talks later on Aug 18 between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that security guarantees for Kyiv were 'crucial'. Mr Trump's summit on Aug 15 with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska 'made it clear that for a just and lasting peace, Moscow must finally act. Until that happens, pressure on Russia must be increased, including with increased aid to Ukraine,' Mr Wadephul said. The talks on Aug 18 in Washington are about establishing 'the elements of a negotiated solution on the path to a just peace for Ukraine,' he said. 'Firm security guarantees are crucial for this. Because Ukraine must be able to defend itself effectively even after a ceasefire and peace agreement.' AFP
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Air Canada remains grounded as union defies order to get back to work amid cabin crew strike
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Flight attendants are striking for better wages and to be paid for work on the ground. They are currently paid only when planes are moving. MONTREAL - Air Canada's fleet of hundreds of planes remained grounded on the morning of Aug 18 after striking flight attendants refused a government-backed order to get back to work and called on the airline to return to the bargaining table. The carrier, which normally carries 130,000 people daily and is part of the global Star Alliance of airlines, had planned to start ramping up operations on Aug 17 evening, after a labour relations board ordered the union to return to work and start binding arbitration. The union said no, setting up an almost unprecedented stand-off with the Canadian government, which had requested the back-to-work order. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,000 Air Canada cabin crew, had pushed for a negotiated solution, saying binding arbitration would take pressure off the airline. The attendants are striking for better wages and to be paid for work on the ground, such as boarding passengers. They currently are only paid when planes are moving, sparking vocal support from some Canadians on social media. CUPE invited Air Canada back to the table to 'negotiate a fair deal', calling the order to end its strike unconstitutional. The airline said it would delay plans to restart operations until the evening of Aug 18, and described the union as illegally defying the labour board. The government's options to end the strike now include asking courts to enforce the order to return to work and seeking an expedited hearing. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025 a rallying cry amid significant challenges facing Singapore, say analysts Singapore NDR 2025: The case for growing old at home in super-ageing Singapore Singapore WP urges Government to engage widely, explore all solutions following National Day Rally 2025 Opinion A 'we first' Singapore is the hardest policy for PM Lawrence Wong to deliver Singapore Age Well Neighbourhoods, job-matching by CDCs: 10 highlights from PM Wong's National Day Rally speech Singapore LTA, public transport operators join anti-vaping effort with stepped-up enforcement World Trump, tech and Texas: What's next for the US? Singapore 3 foreigners arrested for working illegally as delivery riders in Singapore: Koh Poh Koon The minority government could also try to pass legislation that would need the support of political rivals and approval in both houses of Parliament, which are on break until Sept 15. 'The government will be very reticent to be too heavy-handed because in Canada, the Supreme Court has ruled that governments have to be very careful when they take away the right to strike, even for public sector workers that may be deemed essential,' said Professor Dionne Pohler, professor of dispute resolution at Cornell University's Industrial and Labour Relations School. Another option is to encourage bargaining, Prof Pohler said. The government did not respond to requests for comment. On Aug 16, Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government moved to end the strike by asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order binding arbitration. CIRB issued the order, which Air Canada had sought, and unionised flight attendants opposed. The previous government, under then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, intervened in 2024 to head off rail and dock strikes that threatened to cripple the economy, but it is highly unusual for a union to defy a CIRB order. CUPE said its rejection was unprecedented when such an order was made according to rules, known as Section 107, that the government invoked in this case. Travellers at Toronto Pearson International Airport over the weekend said they were confused and frustrated about when they would be able to fly. Italian Francesca Tondini, 50, sitting at the Toronto airport, said she supported the union even though she had no idea when she would be able to return home. 'They are right,' she said with a smile, pointing at the striking attendants. The dispute between cabin crew members and Air Canada hinges on the way airlines compensate flight attendants. Most, including Air Canada, have traditionally paid them only when planes are in motion. In their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in both Canada and the United States have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks such as boarding passengers. New labour agreements at American Airlines and Alaska Airlines legally require carriers to start the clock for paying flight attendants when passengers are boarding. American Airlines' flight attendants are now also compensated for some hours between flights. United Airlines' cabin crew members, who voted down a tentative contract deal in July, also want a similar provision. REUTERS
