LTA has announced that the number of COEs for cars 1,600cc and below will be reduced by 9.6 per cent.

The largest decrease in the quotas is for goods vehicles and buses at 30%. The next biggest cut was for the Open category COEs - which can be used for any vehicle type - at 13.9 per cent.

The quota for motorcycles and scooters will be reduced by 8.1%.

There is no revision to the monthly quota for cars above 1600cc as actual numbers scrapped was close to original estimates.

The number of cars scrapped in the first eight months of 2008 was lower than expected, leading to the reduction in COE quotas. However, the reduction is not as steep as some motor traders predicted.

LTA also announced the Oct 2008 bidding will open at 12 noon on 6 Oct. The total quota for this tender is 4,418.