Channel News Asia

2022 - 8 - 22

Toyota doubles down on its hybrid bet in India (CNA)

BIDADI, India : Toyota is rebooting its strategy for India, doubling down on a bet that emerging markets will learn to love its hybrids, as long as the ...

"India is one of the lowest cost bases for these parts. This will lay the ground for an eventual switch to fully electric or fuel cell vehicles," said one person familiar with Toyota's plans. About 55 per cent of raw materials by value for the E-Drives come from India, two sources said. Toyota is lobbying to get the taxes reduced, sources said. It also comes as India tightens fuel efficiency and emission targets for carmakers. "The hybrid bet is a turning point. Another factor affecting the Hyryder's price is taxation. "As we come down the price points ... However, mild hybrids have smaller batteries and cost far less. To bring down the cost of the Hyryder, which will be sold by Toyota and Suzuki, it will use a hybrid system originally developed for subcompact cars, or one size smaller, according to a Toyota engineer familiar with hybrid technology. The shift is a recognition that Toyota has been unable to bring down the cost of full hybrids to the point where they can always compete on price in markets such as India, the people familiar with Toyota's planning said. Central to the strategy is a drive to cut the cost of full hybrid powertrains by making them in India, where the automaker's factories are running well below capacity, and to source key materials within the country.

The Big Read: As the sun goes down on the taxi industry, some ... (CNA)

SINGAPORE: Having been a taxi driver for 28 years, 63-year-old Anthony Oh was accustomed to the “traditional” means of picking up passengers - either by ...

“Drivers themselves also have to be more adept in terms of scouting or waiting for their next customers,” he said. This initiative also applies to taxi drivers who join the Grab platform. While waiting times before the pandemic were 15 minutes at most, he now can wait up to one hour before a taxi comes along. The medallion’s drop in value is due in part to the overwhelming demand for ride-share services provided by companies such as Uber and Lyft, causing potential taxi drivers to flock to these platforms. On weekends, he added, there is often a long queue at the taxi stand, but no taxis. As that need evolves, and as street hails continue to decline, then the market model needs to change," said Assoc Prof Theseira. Soon, he was ferrying passengers in his taxi both the traditional way and based on Grab bookings. but for older taxi drivers, who have been driving for over 10 years, they will say that (the new model) is difficult to accept.” And the same goes for taxi drivers, regardless of age. Still, he has no regrets because of his familiarity with driving a taxi without having to depend on the apps. In 1937, New York City created the medallion system and placed a limit on the amount of medallions that could be sold, making one rare and valuable. “Now I rarely do flag downs, maybe only one to two trips a day will be like that, nowadays 90 per cent of my jobs are from the (ride-hailing application) ...

This mumpreneur got through a teen pregnancy and job rejections ... (CNA)

Mother-of-four Stacy Chow understands just how stressful breastfeeding can be. She tells CNA Women how her own search for a wearable breast pump led her to ...

To keep her costs low, she packed and posted orders herself, and also built the website from scratch. In fact, Chow said there was an increase in sales during the pandemic, with their round-the-clock helpline proving helpful to mothers. Chow herself, with the help of colleagues who are mothers themselves, attend to the questions. “Because of our assistance, we’ve got mums who manage to breastfeed up to six months and to a year, which is extremely rewarding,” Chow said. “We understand the situation and provide a hotline where mothers can just text us and we’ll explain to them how it works,” she explained. “Back then, I even had three jobs at one point to earn more just so I could give my son a better future,” she said. After her son was born, she was able to work full-time thanks to her supportive parents and godparents, who stepped in to help with child-minding. It’s now open for pre-order and stocks are expected to arrive in the first week of October. For a period of time, Chow was a home baker and a stay-at-home mum selling miscellaneous products to supplement the family’s income. Chow was just 17 and still in school when she got pregnant. Chow then launched her online business, Baby Express, in August 2019, to sell the Be Mini. She had to juggle meeting potential customers with expressing breast milk and storing it while on-the-go.

Extended grace period for short-term parking at HDB, URA car parks ... (CNA)

The sale and exchange of parking coupons at all HDB branches will also be discontinued from Sep 19, 2022.

"At present, close to nine in 10 motorists use the Parking.sg app at these car parks. Sales of parking coupons have dropped by 99 per cent in recent years due to the implementation of the electronic parking system in nine out of 10 HDB car parks and the introduction of the Parking.sg app in 2017, said HDB. Advertisement

China no closer to peak coal despite record renewable capacity ... (CNA)

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged last year to "strictly control" coal and start cutting its use starting in 2026 to bring its climate-warming carbon dioxide ...

"If the situation in Europe is not fuelling more coal consumption here yet, it is certainly reinforcing Beijing's pre-existing desire to ensure energy security by all means." It is also aiming to bring wind and solar capacity up to 1,200 GW by 2030, nearly double the level of last year. New coal-fired power construction was at its highest since 2016 last year. China expects its consumption to rise for another three years. State media have accused Europe of hypocrisy when it comes to climate action. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged last year to "strictly control" coal and start cutting its use starting in 2026 to bring its climate-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to a peak before 2030.

Man jailed for sexually abusing stepdaughter, 8, and sister-in-law, 9 (CNA)

He pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated sexual assault and two charges of outraging the modesty of a minor. Nine more charges for sexual offences against ...

His abuse of V1 started in 2014, when the girl was about nine. The man lived in a flat in Bedok with his stepdaughter - identified in court documents as V2 - and V2's mother. He would sit next to the girls while they played games. V1 did not react adversely as she trusted him, and she did not know then that what the man was doing to her was wrong. This progressed to touching her chest. They kept quiet about the abuse, which took place from 2014 to 2015 and only came to light last year.

Commentary: Water leaking through the ceiling in malls could point ... (CNA)

Newer buildings with award-winning designs cannot replace the safety and health of workers, users and occupants, say NUS professors Daniel Wong and Gabriel ...

In addition, the cost of new technology and sustainability measures will add to the many things needed to operate and maintain. And what about the legal ramifications to the owners of building assets with the imperfections? There must be a paradigm shift in the way we support our built environment experts. With top management wanting middle management to tighten operating expenses, it is inevitable there may be more of such workplace incidents. Periodic structural and facade inspections are also the norm with the latter being the more recent enhancement in building control law. Newer buildings with award-winning designs cannot replace the safety and health of workers, users and occupants.