Climbing behind the wheel of an expensive car does something to a man. The exact brain chemistry, I can’t say. Perhaps it’s the sudden grip of power; the adrenalised unpredictability. Or, maybe, the increased likelihood that you'd catch the eye of anyone when you toss the keys to the valet. As someone who has previously shown an unwavering indifference to automobiles his entire life, for the first time I finally understood.
The Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid is the first hybrid ever made by Bentley. Powered by both electric battery and petrol it's a different hybrid symbiosis when driving it. A hybrid of heaven and hell. Heaven, for its robust smoothness and opulent interiors; and hell, for the feeling of devilish omnipotence that hijacks the person gripping the wheel.
Having grown up in Los Angeles, the familiar image of a Bentley gliding down PCH is one tattooed across my psyche. But driving one myself? Please. That is a privilege reserved for those whose business cards have CEO in the title. Those with rocks on their fingers the size of walnuts. People with Sir Richard Branson on speed dial and who rent out the entire Beverly Hills hotel on 4 July because they didn’t want to be disturbed during breakfast. It’s a car reserved for those who do in a world of those who don’t.
As I drove this immaculate piece of machinery down the spidery highways of Dubai to pick up two unsuspecting girl-friends visiting from London—let’s call them M and N—I pulled up to the front of their hotel. Their mirrored expressions of incredulous wonder told me everything I needed to know.
“Is this your car, Anton?!”
Sure, I may have been guilty of letting the story marinate for an hour or so, but as our friendship dates back nearly a decade. Eventually, they saw through my charade. Still. Bolting through Dubai in a Bentley on our way to Hakkasan for dinner wasn’t so terrible.
A Bentley is like an award. It’s something you earn after years of hard work and dedication. Something the universe grants you when it feels you are finally deserving of such prestige. This is where you get to park right by the entrance, letting others know that it is a restaurant worth eating at, and you are worth eating there.
Growing up, I had a friend whose parents owned, among many other things, two private jets and a yacht. They also had a white show-poodle named Bentley. I used to think that was silly. Now I get it.
There's a misconception that golf is reserved for a particular faction. It's a fair assumption but not an entirely accurate one. Enter the upcoming Porsche Singapore Classic, which merges top-quality competitive action with delightful sport and lifestyle activities to make the game more accessible to spectators, aspiring players and new followers of golf.
Some key facts to know about the tournament is that this is the opening event of the DP World Tour’s Asian Swing. Players competing include 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry, PGA Tour winner Matthieu Pavon and newly-crowned DP World Tour winner Rikuya Hoshino, among others. The prize purse has increased to USD 2.5 million, and Porsche is offering their latest Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid Porsche as the prize for the professionals and spectators (more on that later) scoring a hole-in-one on Hole 17.
DP World Tour events in Singapore have been pretty significant for Asian talent in particular. Both Arjun Atwal (India) and Zhang Lian Wei (China) made history for being respective country firsts by clinching their Tour titles here. Fellow top regional golfers you'll catch on the green at the Porsche Singapore Classic include Hoshino of Japan, as well as Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Gavin Green (Malaysia), Li Haotong (China) and Kho Taichi (Hong Kong).
Locally, Singaporean Mardan Mamat won the Singapore Masters in 2006 and remains our only winner on the DP World Tour to date. And this year, all three international qualifying spots for the Porsche Singapore Classic were swept by Singaporeans Nicklaus Chiam, Joshua Yap and Irvyn Tan, so keep your eyes peeled for these rising talents at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club.
If you are new to the game, this gateway to sport works for all. At the Porsche Singapore Classic, a unique spectator village located conveniently within the beautiful Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore resort boasts a slew of tantalising food and beverage options as well as entertaining fringe activities. These include putting challenges, shootout games, and the chance for spectators to win a Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid. Make it a family outing while you’re at it—children aged 16 and below enjoy free entry into the Porsche Singapore Classic, as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket.
A natural question but it's worth noting that the automobile giant has been involved in golf since 1988 through the Porsche Golf Cup, a series of amateur tournaments for Porsche customers. The Porsche Golf Cup has grown to become one of the company’s most successful customer events—over 17,000 Porsche customers recently took part in 261 worldwide qualifying tournaments. Porsche is no stranger to the professional golf scene too as title sponsor to the DP World Tour's European Open, and is now expanding its presence in the Asian market as Title Partner of the Singapore Classic. Porsche Singapore has also supported the upcoming tournament with a fleet of 20 Taycan shuttle cars for VIP guests and players, and the Porsche 996 Swan will be on display at Laguna National as well.
Which means if you'd like to catch a glimpse of the freshly-launched hybrid Porsche (and who's walking away with it), watch top golfers in action, or simply kickstart that overdue interest in the sport, wait no more. We’ll see you at the Porsche Singapore Classic.
Get tickets to the Porsche Singapore Classic happening until 24 March at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.
There's plenty of mystery and hearsay shrouding what is possibly Apple's biggest creation thus far. It's also no exaggeration to say that the billion-dollar Project Titan has experienced multiple iterations. With it, sheer speculation that has seen resurgence time and again throughout its decade of development.
Presently, the biggest change is pushing back the launch from 2026 to 2028 (earliest), further begging the question of its relevance then. Especially when what was initially planned to be a fully autonomous EV (Level 5) has since scaled down to partial automation (Level 2+: informal term for an advanced Level 2).
Features include braking/accelerating support and lane centering, which sounds far from showstopping if you ask me. No pedals, no steering wheels, and a central dashboard for controls may have sounded futuristic 10 years ago. Now it describes something not too far from a Tesla.
Which is essentially what the latter is, isn't it? Taking the sleek, minimalist approach that Apple is famous for and apply it to a vehicle, in both aesthetic and interface. Self-driving capabilities wise, Tesla's Autopilot currently falls under—you guessed it—Level 2.
It's hard not to see the Apple Car framed as being too late to the table. Robotaxi Waymo by Google's Alphabet is whizzing away. Sony and Honda are collaborating on Afeela. And of course, Chinese rivals Huawei and Xiaomi recently announcing their skin in the EV game with Luxeed S7 and SU7 respectively (what's with the obsession with seven?).
In an era where all products are created with the intent to surpass the competition, more so in tech, and more so in EV (just look at how all prototype demo videos highlight performance superiority to fellow players); how would Apple's fantasy drive add value to consumers' lives?
And in an era where branding is king, would a release like this, amid diminishing popularity of the once monopolising iPhone, have quite the opposite effect the conglomerate is going for? The last thing you want to do with high expectations is to disappoint.
...but who knows. With the way tech is going these days, I may just be eating my words in four years time.
Amid all that's happening in the EV world (e.g. the two million Tesla recalls over autopilot issue, eerily echoed in Leave The World Behind), it's understandable that consumers aren't necessarily racing to the make purchases. But as a car that needs no introduction, and one notoriously satisfying to drive, the Range Rover might just be exception to the rule.
Fashioned by 75 years of tech expertise in off-road capability, every Range Rover—classic, Sport, Velar, Evoque—is currently already available as an electric hybrid. The all-electric though, is only set to arrive in 2024. Following the announcement just last week, JLR has now opened its waiting list to public ahead of the release.
In terms of performance and all-terrain capability, the model is based on the flagship V8. The goal is the most refined version, complete with unique active road noise cancellation configuration, sound design and level of cabin comfort. All that while wading through up to 850mm deep water. At least that is what's on paper now that physical prototype testing is underway.
Global on-road testing has commenced from Sweden to Dubai, in temperatures from -40C to +50C. Besides thermal derating, factors are mainly a) robustness of the electric drive system, including its front-end and underfloor, b) battery durability and c) chassis integrity.
Alongside design and engineering, the new electric luxury SUV will also be built in the UK. Batteries and EDUs will be constructed at JLR's new Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton for the very first time.
To throw in a little quote by JLR APac Managing Director Alistair Scott: “By joining the waiting list, enthusiasts and forward-thinkers alike can secure their place at the forefront of electric mobility. This is not just a reservation; it's a declaration of confidence in the future of transportation and a bold step towards a more sustainable tomorrow.”
