Car distributors close ranks for stronger voice

[SINGAPORE] Virtually the entire motor industry met quietly on Tuesday to see how they can bring all the brands together to speak as one voice when dealing with the government.

Initiated by Volkswagen, top management discussed at the confidential meeting how to better engage the authorities as a group, amid the recent flurry of commercial and technical changes to Singapore's automotive regulations.

They included representatives from both the distributors and manufacturers of makes such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes- Benz, Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Chevrolet, Opel, Volvo and Jaguar, among others. Only the Honda and Nissan agents are said to have been absent.

One person who was there commented that it's been "a long time" since he …