Lubricants brand Liqui Moly Singapore makes the Volkswagen Caddy its LCV of choice because it doesn’t behave like a normal van

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SINGAPORE

The Volkswagen Caddy has been the vehicle of choice for Liqui Moly Singapore since they began operations here 12 years ago. 

We last reviewed the Caddy as a passenger car and subsequently an LCV, so this time we set out to find out why Liqui Moly Singapore has made three generations of the Volkswagen Caddy its light commercial vehicle (LCV) of choice. 

If you weren’t clear on what Liqui Moly is, it’s a German company specialising in oils, lubricants, and additives for cars, bikes, boats, and even aeroplanes. 

Liqui Moly makes plenty of deliveries around Singapore, although a large segment of its clientele are located around the traffic hellscape that is Ubi. And that accounts partly for its choice of the VW Caddy van.  

Brendan Ang, CEO and Managing Director of Liqui Moly Asia Pacific describes the choice as ‘natural’ given both brand’s German origins, even calling it a ‘company tradition’. 

“We were looking for light commercial vehicles that would suit our needs and go well with our brand identity,” he shared.

Despite handling markets in Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Brunei, Singapore is currently the only country of theirs that operates its business in the Caddy. 

Comprising two men – each to a Caddy – the sales team’s daily operations involve delivering products to automotive workshops. For these men who are essentially working out of office all day, comfort was of utmost importance in deciding which LCV to use. 

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With the winding slopes and spirals in the car parks of buildings that house the various automotive workshops, Mr Ang cites the Caddy’s low power loss during gear changes a huge driving force in their choice. With a seven speed direct-shift gearbox, you would expect no less.

Mr Ang shares that when the COE for the third-generation Caddy was expiring and the time came to shop around for new LCVs, the sales team made it very clear what they had their heart set on.

The Managing Director also compares the feeling of driving the Caddy to that of a passenger car – specifically the Volkswagen Golf.  The team made clear how impressed they were by the Caddy’s ease in driving, as opposed to a manual LCV. 

Remember what we said about Ubi? The semi-industrial zone in the East of Singapore is a hive of activity all day long, and if you’ve ever been caught in one of those Ubi Jams, you’ll realise just how much an easy-driving vehicle helps. 

Having had a look inside, the Caddy 5 does bring to mind the Mark 8 Golf. With a touchscreen infotainment system, a downsized gear shift lever just like in the Golf, the Caddy 5 felt cosy in the short trip we had in it. 

Mr Ang shared that with the one-sided doors on the previous generation, the sales team often found themselves in a bind when having to move product in tight spaces. 

In comparison to the fourth-generation Caddy that had doors only on one side, the Caddy 5 comes equipped with sliding doors on both sides, thus making loading and unloading easier for the team. 

Despite all this I was curious if the company would ever make the switch to an electric van, with various electric vans on the market and plans to expand charging infrastructure. 

Mr Ang shared that while longevity and efficiency of ICE engines reign supreme in their books now, they might consider the switch when infrastructure stabilises in the future. Currently, the team has no EV charging station at their office building, nor at their homes.

Considering their business lies in oils for engines, it is a bit of a big ask after all.

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Liqui Moly is of course planning for an EV-only future business-wise, with a range of coolants and gear oils for electric vehicles. These were launched in Germany and will be making their way to Singapore shortly. 

However for their other Asia Pacific markets like Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia, the runway to EV adoption is of course longer.

The large weight of EVs play a part as well, with large batteries and motors adding to the weight. Add in the weight of cargo – approximately 20 kg a box – it changes the everyday experience for the sales team. The Caddy 5 currently has a payload capacity of 710kg.

But perhaps by the time vehicles like the ID.Buzz make their way to Singapore, the infrastructure will be more than ready to support companies like Liqui Moly.

When asked about their hope for the next generation of Caddys instead, Mr Ang playfully mentions keeping the combustion engine. 

“If it’s fuel efficient and meets European standards, as they have the best emission standards.”

The current Caddy 5 falls into the Euro 6 emission standard rating for diesel engines, meaning it has to emit 0.5g/km or less of carbon monoxide, 0.08g/km of nitrogen oxide, and 0.005g/km of particulate matter. With a 2.0-litre four pot turbo diesel engine, it also has a combined cycle fuel efficiency of 4.6L/100km on paper. 

Mr Ang was also confident that whether Volkswagen maintains or improves the current features, the Caddy will be good. After all, they’re not purchasing Caddys to race around in, unlike a Golf R-Line for example, that he used to personally own. 

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The utmost importance for Mr Ang still lies in his sales team, emphasising that if they’re comfortable and confident working in the Caddy, he’s happy.

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