Next COE quota up 16.4%

AS expected, there will be more certificates of entitlement (COEs) for the next quota period starting next month and for some car dealers, the increase is slightly more than they had hoped for.

The February-April 2016 quarter will have 25,210 COEs, up from the 21,653 in the current November 2015-to-January 2016 period, or an expansion of 16.4 per cent.

All COE classes enjoy an increase except the goods vehicle and bus category.

Category A - for cars under 1,600 cc or 130 hp - will see its monthly allocation climb 22.5 per cent to 4,057 COEs, while Cat B - for cars above 1,600 cc and 130 hp - gets 18.0 per cent more with 2,417 COEs per month.

Cat E - the open category whose premium currently tracks Cat B's - sees a 23.9 per cent rise to 892 COEs.

The monthly allotment for Cat D - for motorcycles - is 9.0 per cent bigger at 713 COEs.

But Cat C - for commercial vehicles - dips 32.6 per cent or almost a third to 324 COEs.