Nissan has just introduced the production version of the all-new Nissan Ariya, an electric crossover SUV that we last saw as a concept on our trip to the Tokyo Motor Show late last year.
The third-generation Kia Optima was a design revelation for the boring sedan segment when it was launched in 2011. The fourth-gen followed in 2016, bringing some edgy styling to the table and the once ugly duckling turned into a darn good-looking swan. For its fifth gen, Kia has dropped the Optima name altogether and has launched it as the 2021 Kia K5, which has been its Korean-market name for the past decade.
With economies slowly opening up, the automotive industry is also seeing a slight wave of revival. But this has also opened up a floodgate of recalls.
In the pickup-friendly Australian market, the Mazda BT-50 midsize pickup wears a new frock, along with new underpinnings shared with the new Isuzu D-Max.
A week ago, Kia had uncovered the facelifted version of their smallest hatchback, the 2021 Kia Picanto. This time the manufacturer has gone for a segment above and refreshed the next hatchback in their lineup, the Kia Rio. The 2021 Kia Rio brings in a mild yet adequate facelift and a bit more tech inside the car and under the hood.
To strengthen its weak footing in the compact luxury segment, Lexus revealed the 2021 Lexus IS sports sedan with a refreshed design and more tech. The Japanese sedan had its own strengths but was drowned in the immense popularity of the German trio in that segment, the Mercedes Benz C-Class, BMW 3-Series and the Audi A4.
Toyota’s SUV line-up in the GCC is already crowded, with every niche filled with a model or two, mostly with offerings built in the Far East. However, Toyota offers a completely different set of SUVs in the West, such as the C-HR, the Highlander and the 4Runner, which fill segments in North America that are already taken here. So as a compromise, Toyota is now offering hybrid versions of some of those SUVs in the Middle East, as a way to differentiate them from existing offerings here. First came the C-HR HEV (while killing off the short-lived Prius here), and now the Highlander HEV has debuted in UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Nissan recently took the covers off the all-new X-Trail. Better known as the Rogue in the US, where it is currently the best-selling Nissan, a lot of new tech has been added to the interior along with the fresh exterior design.
The front fascia gets interesting with the split-headlight design, but then things get conservative in the middle with the V-motion grille. It’s not all show though, as air curtains in the front fascia and active grille shutters improve the aerodynamics at speed. The rear design is also quite subdued.
The top variant of the X-Trail gets an all-digital instrument cluster,
The Nissan Kicks walked into the market in 2018, pushing the Nissan Juke out the door in the Middle East. The Kicks brought in a more conventional look instead of the Juke’s funky design (though the new Juke has grown a bit more mature since then). Three years into its life, Nissan gives the little crossover a nip and tuck for the 2021 model year. The 2021 Nissan Kicks has been revealed in Thailand, flaunting an updated design and a sort-of hybrid powertrain.
As activity in the automotive market has plummeted due to the pandemic, the month of May registered a very low number of recalls than usual. Here is the list.