Three other cars worth the trip to Suntec
The motorshow also gives a sneak peek of three cars that have not been officially approved for sale, but will eventually ply the roads here: the made-in-Singapore Kia EV5 electric SUV; the quirky Smart #5 electric SUV; and the highly anticipated Toyota GR Yaris facelift, which comes with an automatic transmission.
South Korean carmaker Kia unveiled the EV5 electric SUV at the motorshow. The car will be built at the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS) in Bulim. Kia is part of the Hyundai Motor Group and holds an ownership stake in HMGICS, according to an official statement.
The EV5 will be the third car that HMGICS is assembling in Singapore for the local market, after the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. It is expected to go on sale in the second quarter of 2025. No official price and specifications are available, but the car will provisionally come with 110kW of power, qualifying it for the more affordable Category A COE.
Also making an appearance was the Smart #5 mid-sized SUV. The car was unveiled in Australia in August 2024 and launched for sale in China in October. This is the first time it is being shown outside China and Australia.
Smart, a Mercedes-Benz and Geely joint venture, has a stable of three cars. The #1 was launched in Singapore in 2024 and was one of the top 10 contenders for The Straits Times’ Car of the Year.
A representative of Smart’s local agent Cycle & Carriage said #5 is expected here in the second half of 2025.
While many of the new or facelifted cars unveiled at the event were EVs, there were several new or refreshed cars powered by internal combustion engines (ICE), such as the BMW 1-series, Honda Accord sedan, Hyundai Tucson AWD crossover and Mini Cooper Convertible.
The most exciting one is arguably the facelifted Toyota GR Yaris. It was first launched in Singapore in 2021 as a two-door, three-cylinder, six-speed manual, all-wheel drive rally-bred hot hatch. Enthusiasts swiftly snapped up the initial batch of 22 cars brought in by Toyota agent Borneo Motors in 2021.
Meanwhile in Japan, the GR Yaris was facelifted in January 2024 and received an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a refreshed cockpit. The engine output has been increased to 276hp (from 257hp) and 390Nm (from 360Nm).
The facelifted GR Yaris was unveiled at the motorshow with a “not for sale” sign on its windscreen, as it was not approved for sale in time for the show.
However, a Borneo Motors representative has confirmed that the car is expected in Singapore in May with an indicative price tag of about $240,000 without COE, putting it in roughly the same retail price bracket as the Volkswagen Golf R.
Some purists may question whether the automatic transmission will weaken the car’s hallowed status as a rally-bred car, but the automatic transmission can widen its appeal to more drivers.
Book It/Singapore Motorshow 2025
Where: Levels 1 Atrium, 3 and 4, Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Raffles Boulevard
When: Jan 10, 11.30am to 9pm; Jan 11, 10.30am to 9pm; and Jan 12, 10.30am to 8pm
Admission: $10 including $1 booking fee from motorshow.com.sg
