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Volkswagen

What: Arteon facelift
When: H2
Variants: 2.0 TSI Elegance, 2.0 TSI R-Line
How much: From S$220,000 with COE

Sedans may be on the wane, but if any car can convince you to abandon all thoughts of an SUV and slip back into something lower slung, the Volkswagen Arteon is it. It handles superbly, is both fast and refined, the boot is enormous and it looks sharp.

The Arteon is due for a facelift and arrives in the second half of this year, but details are scant. Most likely, you’ll see minor cosmetic updates (meaning new headlights, a restyled grille), but hopefully there won’t be anything major – why fix what ain’t broke?

Inside, we’re betting on a larger infotainment screen, since the current car’s 10.2-inch item isn’t quite big-league enough by today’s standards.

Sadly, we hear there’s little chance of the rip-snorting Arteon R making it here, but the 280hp Arteon R-Line that we drove in 2018 was a blast.

What: Touareg facelift
When: Q2
Variants: 3.0 V6, 3.0 V6 R-Line
How much: From S$350,000 with COE

Volkswagen’s de facto flagship, the Touareg, is set for a return to Singapore’s price lists, with a few upgrades in terms of specification to keep it fresh. Adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree area view monitor and Park Assist Plus are likely new features set to make the big beastie’s owners lives easier – Park Assist Plus involves using your smartphone to park the VW from the outside, which should be handy if approved for sale here. Otherwise it’s still super comfy, super plush and super underrated.

There’s a Touareg R with plug-in tech and a whopping 462hp under the bonnet, but it’s anyone’s guess if local appetite for that car will be enough to justify bringing it in here. Lobby your local VW salesman if you want one…

Volvo

What: XC40
Variants: EV P8
When: First quarter of 2022
How Much: S$220,000 with COE

Volvo is going electric in a big way as well, with the launch of two electric cars in SIngapore planned for 2022. The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric P8, to give it its full name, is a small electric SUV that expands from the XC40 PHEV. The car shares the same Common Modular Architecture (CMA) chassis found in the Polestar 2, and is powered by a 78kWh battery pack under the floor feeding two electric motors. With more than 400hp of total power output sent to all four wheels the car will go from 0 to 100km/h in under 5 seconds. It has a claimed range of more than 400km on the WLTP cycle too.     

What: C40
Variants: EV
When: Third quarter of 2022
How Much: S$240,000 with COE

Essentially the sleeker, coupe-SUV version of the XC40, the swoopy roofed Volvo C40 Pure Electric boasts the same stats as its XC40 Pure Electric sibling, and is similarly quick with a 0 to 100km/h dash time of just 4.9 seconds. Volvo claims that while the initial claimed range of the car is around 420km on the WLTP cycle, future updates could improve the car’s efficiency even further. Like all current-gen Volvo cars, the operating system on screen comes from Android with Google Assistant, so if you’re an iPhone die-hard this will take some getting used to. Initially, Singapore’s Volvo distributor said that it had no plans to sell the C40 Pure Electric here when we asked in early 2021, but plans have clearly changed. 

What: XC60
Variants: T8 PHEV
How Much : First quarter of 2022
Estimated price: S$300,000 with COE

After a lengthy wait following the launch of the Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 here in early 2021, the smaller XC60 will also be getting a PHEV variant here within the next three months. Packing an 18.7kWh battery in the car’s spine powering a 142hp electric motor, the car has an electric-only range of up to 79km. But it’s a plug-in hybrid, so if you have no convenient charging points nearby or just want a faster drive, the 2.0-litre, twin-charged petrol engine with 390hp gets to work. In combined hybrid mode, the car has a total power output of 455hp. 

What: XC90
Variants: T8 PHEV
How Much : First quarter of 2022
Estimated price: S$420,000 with COE

The Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV, which has been available in Singapore since early 2021, is getting a facelift for 2022. With a claimed electric-only range of up to 93km it’s a car that you could run comfortably on electric power alone if you have a place to recharge it every night. Otherwise, the powerful twin-charged 2.0-litre petrol engine is activated to drive the car like a regular petrol-electric hybrid. It’s a powerful car, and like the XC60 RechargeT8, there’s a total system power of 455hp. It’s also a seven-seater, and is packed with the usual comprehensive Volvo safety features.

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