Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, based in the US is known for tuning up GM sports cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette. They also beef up the exterior to give them a more aggressive look. They haven’t disappointed with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.
Ford is now offering a new Sport trim level in Europe that will be available on the three-door models equipped with the 96 hp 1.4-litre and 120 hp 1.6-litre petrol engines as well as with the 90 hp 1.6-litre TDCi turbo diesel.
Toyota recently announced the 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser is going to get a new engine and transmission option, retiring the long-running 4.7-litre V8 to replace it with a Lexus-derived 4.6-litre V8. The upgrade is only for the Japanese-market model currently but may spread to GCC and other markets later.
VW-owned Czech carmaker Skoda has launched the sporty RS versions of the their facelifted 2009 Octavia.
The Porsche Cayenne is among the most common SUVs on UAE roads today. The people who buy them think they are buying exclusivity, but instead they end up having the same goofy-faced truck as their neighbours. So German outfit Gemballa, known for tuning Porsches, have unveiled their latest cure for the common Cayenne, in the form of the Tornado 750 GTS.
The Ford F-150 is the top-selling light truck in the United States. The latest redesigned 2009 version is available in hundreds of variants in America, even while GCC dealers are still trying to offload leftovers of the previous version here. Expanding the American line-up is the all-new 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor, a purpose-built high-performance off-road truck built by Ford’s SVT performance division. As Ford teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, it is a last hurrah for SVT before quietly winding down operations.
Volkswagen has just released a more aggressive-looking Tiguan model in Europe called the Volkswagen Tiguan R Line. It does not get any engine upgrades but it does add some flavour to the dull design.
GM’s Opel division, all but forgotten in the GCC, has released a power-packed midsize sedan in Europe, called the Opel Insignia OPC. Good looks, 300+ hp turbocharged engine, 4×4 technology, below 6 seconds 0-100 kph and tested extensively in the famous Nurbrgring circuit, everything sounds like a winner, except maybe the name.
The BMW dealer in Abu Dhabi is offering AC Schnitzer body kits for the BMW X5 and the BMW X6, calling it The Falcon. Incidentally, BMW’s GCC office recently reported that the 7-Series is their top-selling model in this region, followed by the BMW X6 and then the BMW X5. Considering the abundance of BMW’s soft-roading clientele, they should have no problem selling these kits.
You have to wonder what the marketing people at Land Rover are getting paid for, when they thought it appropriate to rename the LR3 just because it received a new grille and a new engine for the 2010 model year.