TAXI commuters will soon be flagging down the Toyota Camry - arguably Singapore's most popular Japanese executive saloon.
Taxi companies here are stepping up their search for alternative vehicles so they do not run afoul of the stricter Euro IV emission standard for diesel vehicles, which kicked in last week.
The Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric, which now make up 90 per cent of cabs here, fail to meet requirements.
Smart Automobiles has decided on the Camry and has put the first one on the road. It plans to roll out at least 19 more. Their petrol engines will converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). It costs about $40,000, one of the least costly cabs here.
Smart general manager William Chua said the first vehicle was registered under the Economic Development Board's scheme for innovative transport technologies, which means it gets a waiver of the Additional Registration Fee and Certificate of Entitlement. The other 19 may get a similar waiver.
The other taxi firms are also looking to use new and untested models to replace the ubiquitous Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric.
The Straits Times understands that Japanese alternatives to these two workhorses will not be available until the second half of next year.
Meanwhile, Jardine Cycle & Carriage has brought in two units of the turbodiesel Kia Magentis for taxi operators.
Its chief executive (motor operations) Cheah Kim Teck noted that there seemed to be 'quite a bit of interest in the car', and that operators wanted to test it alongside the other Korean contender, the Hyundai Sonata.
Taxi giant ComfortDelGro has been testing a pair of Sonatas since late last year, as well as a couple of Volkswagen Touran MPVs, but it has not made up its mind.
