Borneo Motors Singapore celebrates its centennial in 2025

Borneo Motors Singapore (BMS) marks its 100 years (1925-2025) in the automotive business with BMS100 Museum, special exhibits, commemorative models and corporate-social initiatives.

The BMS100 Museum provides a heartwarming walk down motoring’s memory lane within the Toyota and Lexus showrooms at 33 Leng Kee Road. Historical timelines, experiential touchpoints and seldom-seen automotive artifacts bring visitors to Borneo Motors’ yesterday once more. 

The centrepiece of the in-house mini-museum is Singapore's very last Toyota Crown taxi, an SMRT unit which was taken off the road in 2014 and straight into our SG land transport history books. Thankfully, the cab was deregistered but not destroyed, with special permission from Land Transport Authority to continue existing as a static slice of the Singapore taxi story. 

The star car on display in the BMS100 Museum is Singapore's very last Crown taxi, but without pandan leaves on the parcel shelf.

Accompanying this “old hero” exhibit is an original taximeter from the 1930s. This was introduced by BMS about two decades before such devices were made mandatory for all Singapore taxis in 1953, so as to address the associated problems at the time - fare disputes between cabbies and passengers, and pirate taxis with arbitrary fares.

Another BMS100 special exhibit is a Toyota Corolla Cross cutaway showcasing the inner workings of the Toyota Hybrid System. This is a collaborative project with Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering.

Toyota hybrid technology hit the road (gently) in 2001 with the debut of the first Toyota Prius. In the quarter-century since then, the Japanese automaker’s signature petrol-electric system has gone from strength to strength, with an extensive line-up of hybrid models across different market segments and price points. 

Another long-running motoring solution offered by BMS is Toyota hybrid technology, which hit the road (gently) in 2001 with the debut of the first Toyota Prius. In the quarter-century since then, the Japanese automaker’s signature petrol-electric system has gone from strength to strength, with an extensive line-up of hybrid models across different market segments and price points. 

The new-for-2025 Toyota Corolla Cross is available as a 100-unit BMS100 Special Edition.

The most recent Toyota self-charging full hybrids introduced by BMS are the 1.8-litre Noah MPV and 2-litre Corolla Cross SUV. The latter is also available as a BMS100 Special Edition, limited to 100 units which feature Nappa leather seats, gun-metal sport rims and a “BMS100” badge.   

Another tribute-on-wheels to BMS 100th anniversary is the Lexus LBX Urbanite Edition, of which 100 units will be put on the road. The customised model comes with dechromed bodywork, purposeful gloss-black wheels and trendy yellow accents, plus a Lexus x Bynd Artisan car key folio for each of the hundred LBX Urbanite Edition customers. Another 100 of the specially-designed keepsake will be offered to other Lexus owners. 

The 100-unit Lexus LBX Urbanite Edition is a luxurious little tribute-on-wheels to Borneo Motors for its 100th anniversary.

An equally meaningful “100” initiaitve is the BMS tie-up with Grab Singapore to provide 100 complimentary rides for beneficiaries under Caregiving Welfare Association, Singapore Fashion Runway and active ageing centres. This is yet another example of the community volunteer work driven by BMS and its kindly employees since 2020. 

Ng Khee Siong, managing director of Borneo Motors Singapore, said at the BMS100 centennial celebrations: “While we celebrate our rich heritage, we are equally excited about the future. Our partnership with Toyota began in 1967 and has grown from strength to strength as we remain committed to empowering Singaporeans to make informed mobility decisions.”

Borneo Motors Singapore MD Ng Khee Siong is the man behind the BMS100 wheel "for today, for tomorrow, for the better".

Read More: Toyota goes beyond the roadway and hits the runway with Singaporean para-athlete Toh Wei Soong

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