Moveover Mercedes - Hyundai now has the biggest limo taxi here.

The Hyundai Azera is the choice of taxi operator Smart Automobile, which has secured a fleet of these cars.

They are longer, wider and taller than the Mercedes-Benz E-class cabs plying the roads. The Azera's 3.3 litre V6 engine is also the largest among cabs here.

The Azera will claim the title of being the first six-cylinder car here to use natural gas, because Smart Automobile will be converting the petrol-driven car to run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Taxi operators have been going for Korean and European vehicles since the stringent Euro IV emission standard came into effect last October.

This is because previous favourites - Toyota and Nissan - do not have any suitable models that meet Euro IV's standards yet.

Smart Automobile managing director Johnny Harjantho noted that each Azera costs around $70,000 with certificate of entitlement - about the same as the Skoda

Superb cab, but about a third less than the Mercedes E-class taxi.

The savings for Smart come from a 'green rebate' amounting to a 40 per cent discount off the registration tax - given to environmentally friendlier vehicles.

Vehicles which can switch from running on petrol to CNG are also given this rebate.

Mr Harjantho said Smart will buy 50 Azeras and convert them to run on natural gas, because it is more economical and less pollutive than petrol or diesel.

The conversion kits will be supplied by Scantruck Engineering, a 23-year-old home-grown company which services trucks and forklifts and supplies their parts.

On Feb 9, Scantruck signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to supply ITE its CNG conversion kits and to provide industrial attachments for students to learn more about CNG systems.

ITE, which has included a section on alternative fuels in its automotive technology syllabus, aims to expose its students to 'emerging technologies'.

ITE College West principal Yek Tiew Ming said: "It is important for ITE to keep up with the industry, especially when there are so many changes."

The ITE cohort of about 480 automotive technology trainees spends about 12 hours on the alternative fuels module. Many will get on-the-job training by retrofitting vehicles like Smart Automobile's taxis with CNG kits.

Scantruck charges around $3,400 per conversion for walk-in customers, but fleet jobs like Mr Harjantho's cost substantially less.

Besides Scantruck, German company C Melchers also does CNG conversions here.