Customisable Singapore-made motorbike hits the road

Alife Air Automobiles, a home-grown company and brainchild of entrepreneur Devan Nair, has launched a made-in-Singapore scooter, the only one in the market now to be assembled here, reported The Straits Times.

The company's A bike, which comes in 125cc and 150cc variants and in four designs, is put together at its Bukit Batok plant, and is the first product to roll off the assembly line.

About 80 percent of parts are imported from China, Korea and Japan, with the rest sourced from local suppliers. The engine is designed and made in the U.S.A. The scooter was approved for use by the Land Transport Authority earlier this year, said Mr. Nair, Alife Air Automobiles' President and Group Chief Executive Officer.

As part of the firm's contribution to SG50, the A bike will be sold at a discount of $4,988 - excluding Certificate of Entitlement - to Singaporeans and permanent residents. The retail price is over $8,000 for other buyers. The prices may raise an eyebrow or two, considering that an Indonesian or Chinese-made scooter can cost under $3,000. Asked about this, Mr. Nair said, "We cannot and will not compromise on the quality of parts and safety in our design. So we do not compete as such... Our price is benchmarked against established European and Japanese brands."

The A bike is just the start, and the firm is now working to get a rotary engine certified in the U.S.A. "The biggest cause of accidents for motorcycles is engine vibration. The higher the engine capacity, the more the vibration. At high speeds, it's a very dangerous element. We are designing a rotary engine that can give you zero vibration," said Mr. Nair.