The BMW M5 has become a best-seller in Singapore despite its hefty price tag. (Photo courtesy of Adrian Wong)

The BMW M5 practically flew off the shelves (or in this case the showrooms) — with the first batch sold out even before its official launch on 11 January.

Despite the hefty half-million-dollar price tag, sales of the M5 have been pretty popular since then, to the extent that all the demo units have been sold too.

With that, I just had to find out for myself what was the reason for the high demand. I also heard that I was the last of the media test drives as the test drive unit was later sold too!

What makes the M5 so special? I know this is not going to help, but the answer is truly felt at the wheel, in the driver's seat.

This is the fifth generation of the high performance sedan from the M division, BMW's performance arm, and houses the most powerful engine ever fitted in its series production model — a twin-turbo V8 that roars a maximum of 560bhp at 6,000 to 7,000rpm and 680Nm at 1,500 to 5,750rpm.

It has the most powerful engine ever fitted in the series production model. (Photo courtesy of Adrian Wong)

This 4.4-litre monster of a 5 takes 4.4 seconds to get from zero to 100km/h — its

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By Viknesh Vijayenthiran | Republished from Yahoo! US blog MotorAuthority

Remember the poor Ferrari Enzo supercar abandoned in Dubai last August?

Well, it's still sitting in the same police impound lot we last saw it in, but it may have a bright future ahead.

The Enzo, along with several other exotics, is to be auctioned off in what the Daily Mail, via Jalopnik, claims is the most expensive police sale in history.

The person who abandoned the car is believed to be a British citizen who leased the Ferrari and then fled Dubai 20 months ago when they couldn't afford the repayments and traffic fines.

It's not uncommon to face jail time in Dubai for outstanding debts so we tend to see some financed vehicles abandoned, either at airport car parks or even the owner's former place of residence. However, it's extremely rare--and sad--to see something like a Ferrari Enzo left abandoned.

Other cars seized by authorizes in Dubai and set to be auctioned include some that were stolen and

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Certificate of entitlement (COE) prices just got higher.

The latest round of bidding on Wednesday saw the premium for cars above 1,600cc hitting $91,000, just a month after breaking the $80,000 barrier.

[Check latest prices here]

COE for cars up to 1,600cc are at $64,201, up from $58,501 from a fortnight ago.

The open COE, which can be used for any vehicle type but ends up mainly for cars, finished at $92,010, an increase of over $7,000 from two weeks back.

Commercial vehicle COE set another record at $57,589, up from $53,989 previously.

And the motorcycle premium rose from $1,896 to reach $1,924.

Some people enjoy driving with the roof down to feel fresh air against their faces and get a sun tan while on the move. Unfortunately, our humidity levels sometimes makes the top-down cool image totally 'un-glam' as they can create sweaty faces and armpits. Our unpredictable tropical climate can also get you drenched at the wheel during a sudden downpour.

I remember my first convertible experience in Singapore. I was in the Volkswagen Beetle and I was lapping up the attention at a stop light from having the roof down and feeling the breeze on my cheeks. You could say that the tiniest of smirks was forming at the end of my mouth — then the most humiliating thing happened.

A bird released its day's worth of digested food onto my newly-washed hair. Some slimy green and white substance flowed down the right of my face after exploding on the top of my head. The driver in the lorry next to me could barely contain his laughter and I wished the earth would just swallow me up. My best friend

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Last year, the local motor insurance industry achieved an underwriting profit of S$21.2 million. (Yahoo! file photo)



Motor insurers in Singapore finally got themselves out of the red after suffering from five consecutive years of losses. Last year, the local motor insurance industry achieved an underwriting profit of S$21.2 million — the last time a profit was made was back in 2005. Over the past five years of losses, the largest loss of S$214.1 million was reported in 2008.

In its annual briefing last week, the General Insurance Association (GIA) revealed figures from the industry. Motor insurance still forms the single largest segment for general insurance, and the average premium collected from motor insurance rose by 2.5 per cent in 2011 to an all-time high of S$1,274. This average premium has been rising year after year since 2006 when it was S$867.

However, this average premium rise is tapering off and motorists, particularly the accident-free ones, can breathe easier. GIA president Derek Teo predicts motor insurance premiums will stabilise, with the possibility it may decline depending on the

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Automakers have been active with launches. (Photo courtesy of Infiniti)

The period immediately after the Chinese New Year break was filled with a slew of automotive events by car makers and also a hike in vehicle buying by consumers. This sent COE prices rising for four consecutive rounds, before they eased off some in the latest COE tender last week.

There was a fall in COE prices across all categories except for cars above 1,600cc, which was not surprising as this segment has been more resistant to fluctuating market and economic conditions. Terming it a "market correction", the local motor trade has differing forward-looking opinions — some players are predicting a bigger price correction, while others think that COE prices will stabilise at a high level due to limited supply.

2011 had been a tough year for the automotive market, but this year car makers have been showing confidence in their respective brands and products by holding new car and showroom launches over the past month.

Here's a look at various recent automotive events:

2 February — Launch

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Spending time with Mdm Dara after the event. (Photo credit: Cheryl Tay)




She could not speak a word of English but Dara Binte Singkro managed to relate her life story to us
through her old photos when we sent her home after taking her to lunch and a drive through Singapore city to view iconic landmarks such as the Singapore Flyer and the Esplanade.

Dara was the beneficiary I ferried in my car during Love on Wheels: Zoom Zoom with a Heart, an inaugural charity car rally organised by the People's Association PMET division held on 25 February.

Car rallies are not new to me, but this charity car rally was unique and a first for me, as it integrated community service into the challenge by involving the underprivileged directly. Not a fund-raising initiative, this event allowed us to give back to the society by completing charity-related tasks at the various check points while having driving fun at the same time. Rather than just make monetary contributions, the opportunity served especially well for working professionals to make hands-on contributions amid their

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Get a chance to race in these formula cars. (Photo courtesy of 235 Energy)

If you are 16 and above, and never thought that you could ever go racing, you might want to think again. A chance to become part of the electrifying Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix night race weekend is up for grabs through the 235 Energy Singapore Race Driver Search.

Last year, for the first time, Singaporean females were offered the chance to earn a seat in the Red Bull Rookies team at the Sepang 1000KM endurance race. Then there was the inaugural OCBC Corporate Karting Challenge where anyone (regardless of gender or nationality) above the age of 18 could form a team under a company to race in rental karts in a four-hour kart endurance race.

While plans for the Red Bull Rookies Search 2012 are being put in place for an under-25 three-country hunt among Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei for an all-male as well as an all-female team, the latest racing opportunity aside from cars and go-karts was announced last Friday.

Open to all Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans above the age of 16, the

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