The American Consumer Reports publication, quite possibly the only unbiased magazine in the world with no ads whatsoever, has released the results of their latest survey to determine the most reliable and least reliable cars sold in the United States.
Barely three months after the world debut of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni in pictures, the real deal has already reached the shores of the UAE, as the limited-edition model was launched in Dubai, in the presence of the aging Lamborghini test driver after whom the car was named for his 40 years of service.
Officially introduced in the UAE at a launch party in Abu Dhabi, Porsche held a media driving event for the all-new Porsche Panamera GT sedan. The road trip comprised of a drive from Dubai to Fujairah and back in cars shared with other journalists, and a free lunch somewhere in between.
The Chevrolet Caprice may have originated in the United States, but it died there back in 1996, and the one we get in the GCC now is the Australian Holden version. However, after decades of enduring the outdated Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor, U.S. police forces will finally have a new option to look forward to. Because General Motors is going to start selling the Aussie Chevrolet Caprice as a police-only special model in America.
Holden, GM’s Australian division, is responsible for the Lumina and the Caprice that comes to the GCC. Their HSV tuning arm is also responsible for some of the most violently-powerful rear-wheel-drive V8 cars ever built. Indeed, the Middle East got a taste of HSV in the form of the rebadged CSV CR8 sedan. Now the company has updated their extensive range of tuned vehicles for the Aussie market. The new range is dubbed the HSV E Series 2, and comes in four different body styles and various trim levels, include an ‘SV Enhanced’ customisation package.
The distinguished Nick Alexander Woodie Collection was auctioned off this August, at the 2009 Monterey classic car event in the United States, achieving in excess of $7 million in total sales. It is a good opportunity to witness the popular wood-panel trim sported by various cars are the time.
The all-new Kia Soul was launched in the UAE today, at an event held in Dubai. The Soul, a compact hatchback that is bordering on becoming a small crossover SUV, will initially be available only in 1.6-litre form, with the 2.0-litre version being held back to gauge demand.
Before anyone gets too excited, this is not a full-blown comparison test. Getting the Nissan GT-R for a test drive was a good excuse as any to assemble a few other sports cars and a photographer. We’ve had our 2000 BMW M Roadster for more than a year, the 2009 Nissan GT-R tester was with us for only a few days, and our friend’s 2009 Ferrari F430 Spider was still being broken in so we couldn’t push it. But we did get a feel for three different approaches to speed.
Suzuki, a small player in the global car market, is celebrating 100 years of business on October 2009. German companies such as Audi are also celebrating 100 years in far grander fashion, and keep focusing on a handful of old innovations and motorsports victories while still not being able to build a reliable car. But Suzuki has successfully brought trustworthy transportation to the masses, influencing millions of lives, with everything from the Suzuki-Maruti 800 for lower-income people right up to the cheap Suzuki Samurai for budget offroaders.
The 2010 Ford Mustang GT made its official UAE debut at an event on July 16th in the Dubai Autodrome, even while the car is already on sale. Looking very familiar, it has been overshadowed by the 2010 Chevy Camaro, so much so that Ford Middle East recruited the Emirates Mustang Club to drum up support for the launch event. Being among so many Mustang fanboys is enough to passively intimidate anyone into saying only positive things about the pony car.