Over the years, Mugen has earned a reputation for creating some of the meanest looking and sounding Honda’s in the market. And it goes without saying, their new work on the new Jazz doesn’t disappoint, at-least on the design part.
The UAE is not a minivan market. Most of the vans trundling around the streets of Dubai are of the commercial variety, ferrying workers to work and tourists to resorts. In the midst of this, Honda has dropped their own minivan — a proper one, built in America and designed for families. While a somewhat popular segment in the States with several players, here in the GCC, the Odyssey finds itself almost alone in the face of a crossover onslaught. Still, Honda is doing well enough with local sales that they’ve now launched the facelifted 2014 version here, and shipped one to us for a run.
Hyundai’s Middle East office has officially launched the 2014 Hyundai Tucson crossover in the GCC, during the opening ceremony of its new Africa & Middle East Training Academy, the company’s first such dedicated training facility in Dubai. The more interesting tidbit to come out was that the Hyundai Veloster Turbo is finally headed to the UAE.
Lexus took full opportunity to show off their sculpted and curvaceous looking LF-NX Concept at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
This is old news for those in the know, but our 2010 Mitsubishi Pajero has bid us goodbye, going back to the same used car dealership we bought it from.
Remember that Kia concept we teased you with a few weeks back? More details and images have made it to the surface. It is called the Kia Niro Concept and was revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show this week.
The Nissan X-Trail had been up and about in the Middle-East since 2002. There had been no significant change in the vehicle’s design since its inception, the current X-Trail gaining some notoriety in the UAE due to the fact it is used by the Dubai Police for carrying mobile speed radars. The all-new 2014 Nissan X-Trail has officially been unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show this week. Incidentally, it is intended to be sold in several markets under different names, so our long-running version might finally be replaced in the coming years.
Yes, you read it right. It is a Yaris, with power figures of a combined 420 hp that could very well take on a V8 Mustang. But don’t get too jumpy yet, because this machine is just a hybrid concept which is coupled with a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder. The Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R debuted at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
It’s funny, but many wouldn’t know that Tata’s Xenon pickup trucks have been on sale in the GCC for quite some time now. Sure, that’s probably because it has been overshadowed by the big players such as the Toyota Hilux and Nissan Pickup. Nevertheless, Tata could well be back in the game if they put into the production the Xenon Tuff Truck.
The 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show is under way in Germany, with a number of new product launches, otherworldly concepts and near-production concepts. Some of the new models launched include the Nissan X-Trail, the Volkswagen Golf R and the Bentley Continental GT V8 S. Some of the near-production concepts, which hint at the future direction of these brands, include the sleek Infiniti Q30, the staid Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, the unlikely Volvo Coupe and the unfortunate BMW Active Tourer. Here’s a selection of photos right from the show floor.