The news of the day is that Ford has finally completed the sale of its Swedish Volvo division to China’s Geely for US$ 1.8 billion. Almost simultaneously, Volvo has announced a recall for all of the S80 sedans for the 2007-2010 model years.
Toyota’s Dubai-based dealer office has released a statement that the 2002-2007 Lexus LX 470, the 1999-2004 Toyota Avalon and the 2000-2001 Toyota Corolla are being recalled in the UAE. Only a few GCC-spec Corolla models are affected, while the Land Cruiser seems to have escaped the recall here.
Alongside an earlier-announced recall for 39,000 Lexus LX 470 4x4s built between 2003 and 2007, Toyota has also announced the global recall of all Land Cruiser models between 2003 and 2007. UAE media reports put the global number of affected Land Cruisers at around 40,000, for a total of almost 80,000. That number seems to suggest that only the V8 version is affected.
The hottest news of the day is the governmental suspension of Blackberry services in the UAE by October 11, officially “due to security concerns” but more due to the fact that “The Man” cannot snoop on your dirty emails. The shocking news (to BB users only) pretty much overshadows the fact that the 2011 Infiniti QX56 has been launched in the GCC. That’s the news we hear from our journalist friends who frolicked at the launch party last week, in Lebanon of all places.
The hits just keep on coming for Toyota, as they’ve announced yet another recall, this time covering 39,000 Lexus LX 470 4x4s built between 2003 and 2007.
Toyota has announced a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 373,000 2000-2004 Toyota Avalon sedans sold in the United States to address the possibility that the vehicle’s steering lock bar could break under certain conditions.
The Korean-built Kia Picanto was voted the most reliable new car in the United Kingdom in a survey by UK consumer watchdog magazine Which? Car. Incidentally, the UK-built Land Rover LR3 placed last in the list.
After already being recalled twice this year, Subaru is yet again recalling the 2010-2011 models of the Outback and the Legacy. This time, the recall only affects the rare manual transmission versions, and sales of all potentially-affected vehicles will likely be stopped in the United States.
Debuting in late 2008, the Hyundai Genesis was the car that’s supposed to highlight what the Korean manufacturer is capable of, in terms of competing head-on with luxury brands. There was a lot of hype surrounding this car when it was launched. We’ve finally made contact with Hyundai’s UAE dealer and managed to acquire one for a road test.
Nissan is recalling more than a thousand new 2010 Patrol models in the UAE for electronic problems that could affect the fuel supply and stall the engine.