We have a quick chat with Ng Khee Siong, Borneo Motors Singapore’s managing director
Apart from the rousing new year greetings at the start of every fresh year, there’s also the now-familiar flexing from over-performing automotive brands that comes with taking top honours in the preceding year.
Built-up (and land-scarce) city-states like Singapore are constantly evaluating different mobility solutions, which doesn’t just take into account private car ownership, but encompasses commercial vehicles, as well as taxis. It isn’t just about the drive experience per se, but elements like running costs and reliability are factored-in as well.
As a group, Borneo Motors Singapore (or BMS for short) prides itself on serving-up a diverse portfolio of mobility solutions to cater to all commuters, spanning personal transportation to business / fleet / special needs operations. This has certainly been underscored by its achievement of attaining top honours in 2024.
In addition to the 5,736 Toyota and Lexus passenger vehicles registered, BMS's total tally also includes Hino taking the number one spot for commercial vehicles (with more than 1,000 units sold) and Toyota accounting for over 45 per cent of the taxi market share.
It was no easy feat though – especially given the current flavour is electric and the Toyota group hasn’t gone “all-in” for EVs – so we chat with Mr. Ng Khee Siong, managing director of Borneo Motors Singapore, to find out about last year’s challenges, as well as what 2025 could bring.
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“Apart from the high COE, the car market went through rapid changes, especially with more EV brands entering the market, which are sold at very competitive prices. Meanwhile, we continue to see a volatility in COE prices affecting customer sentiment and buying power. These conditions are what make the Singapore automotive market so interesting and different – this dynamic landscape will probably never change,” he tells us.
Ng continues, “Borneo Motors Singapore has remained consistent and balanced in the solutions we offer to our customers. Firstly we believe in providing mobility for all, which means we must be able to understand the needs of the customers in the various functions that they are in. This ranges from private families, retail customers looking for point-to-point transport or an entity in a business space. So when we look at the various needs across the board, we need to make sure that we have a holistic strategy to tackle all these needs.”
He adds, “Furthermore, with the years of collaboration with our strategic partners, we have managed to provide the most reliable and durable taxi and PHV options. As for our B2B customers in need of efficient and reliable commercial vehicles, we have also been able to offer them tailored solutions for their specific needs.”
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Naturally, any authorised distributor is only as good as the products it offers, which also means Borneo Motors Singapore has to work well with its brand principal to ensure the appropriate vehicles are brought into the market.
“To overcome any challenges, we will continue to stay nimble and work closely with our OEM partners for mobility solutions that can be tailored for private and commercial customers in Singapore,” Ng says.
