With an increased number of quotas for the next three months (excluding the Category E), the first COE exercise in the next quarter - covering the months of August to October - kicked off with COE premiums under all categories - including the Open Category - higher than a fortnight ago. As reported by The Business Times earlier today, premiums for the latter indeed ended 48.4 percent higher than the difference between the premiums recorded at the last tender.

COE premiums for cars under Category A, cars no larger than 1,600cc in engine displacement and containing no more than 130bhp, now cost $64,600, 2.6 percent more than the amount recorded in the previous session, amounting to a difference of $1,710.

Cat B premiums, for cars with a larger displacement or containing more than 130bhp ended $3,688 higher from the last session in late July and concluded today at $68,689 - a 5.4 percent difference compared to a fortnight ago.

Category E or the Open Category - with lower quotas for the next quarter - trailed the other two categories and ended up higher as well after recording $69,001, a difference of 5.8 percent.

Once again the Open Category took the widest hike in today's exercise, clipping $4,000 by a dollar.

As suggested by the Business daily, the constantly narrowing difference between the Cat A and Cat B premiums after the past several sessions might have seen affluent buyers showing a greater interest in bigger cars - as evident with the success of the Mercedes E-Class and recent offerings including the Porsche Macan. The small but significant increase in Cat A premiums over the past couple of sessions also suggests a shift in purchasing habit for most consumers - largely affected by the stringent loan restrictions - as evident with the critically and commercially acclaimed Cat A poster boy - the all new Toyota Corolla Altis.