The special-order BMW Z4 GT3 is a fixed-roof racing car offered by BMW to anyone ready to cough up US$ 400,000. The only problem is, in true IKEA style, you end up overpaying for something that comes in self-assembly-required boxes. Swedish racing team, Team West Coast Racing, bought the Z4 GT3, powered by a 480 hp 4.0-litre V8, and took 600 hours to finish building it, over 25 days.
The Bentley Continental GT has been updated for the 2011 model year, although the VW-owned British firm is touting it as an all-new model. The new model features facelifted front and rear ends, a mildly-redone interior, an upgraded V12 and the promise of a new V8 base engine.
The new Chevrolet Cruze sedan is selling well in many parts of Europe, South America, China and India. The car was just introduced in the United States too, and the car is already on sale in South Korea and Australia under Daewoo and Holden badges respectively, making it a true “world” car. Sales in the Middle East have yet to pick up, but we actually have one in our fleet right now to investigate further why it is so popular elsewhere. General Motors is hard at work to extend their market share however. Europeans love hatchbacks more than sedans for some reason,
While browsing our own website, we came across Google Adsense text ads by Mercedes-Benz that links to a survey. The online form seems to be gauging interest for the possible launch of the Smart ForTwo micro-car in the UAE.
Just launched in the UAE, the Korean-built Renault Fluence is a new-for-2011 model that competes in the compact segment in terms of price, features, performance and general demeanour. It is a rather underwhelming car, as most cars are in this segment, but it has one ace up its sleeve. A longer-than-average wheelbase means it is more spacious than many others in the compact class.
There is a lot of hype over the investigation into 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee models, like the one we own, over it catching fire, but only when hit from the rear due its rear-mounted fuel tank. Only 44 cases have been reported among the 2.3 million sold, and the “fix” is as simple as installing the optional metal skidplate that already comes in offroad models like ours. In contrast, the Ferrari 458 Italia has been on sale for maybe four months now, and maybe 200 are estimated to be on the streets so far. And 10 have already gone up in flames,
Renault has launched the new Latitude midsize sedan model in its continuing bid to become more mainstream rather than quirky. The Latitude’s world debut was at the 2010 Moscow Auto Show, and will be built in Russia for their local market, but the car is already on sale in Korea as the Samsung SM5, and it is this Korean one that will probably make it to the GCC eventually as a replacement for the Renault Safrane.
Xenatec, a custom and armoured vehicle manufacturing specialist, has launched operations in the region with a base in Dubai under the name of Xenatec Middle East & Africa this month. Xenatec is headquartered in Germany and builds special modified vehicles such as stretch limos and armoured cars, supplying components in the bodywork process and interior in-house. The company creates complete vehicles from concept development to design and prototyping, through to production.
As part of Jaguar’s 75th anniversary, their design team has created the XJ75 Platinum Concept, a one-of-a-kind design project which was recently on display at the U.S. Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance show. The XJ75 Platinum Concept is a demonstration of the design customisation potential of the new XJ luxury sedan. This special-edition vehicle is slated to be available in the Middle East sometime in 2011.
The original Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class gave birth to the “four-door coupe” marketing gimmick for slinky sedans back in 2003. And it still looks as fresh as the day it debuted, likely due to its inherent rarity. Now, after months of spy shots all around the world, the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS has finally been revealed, before its debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show in October this year.