When our editor asked me if I wanted to attend a Roll Royce drive event, I didn’t think twice. And I didn’t even bother to ask which Rolls Royce I was getting to drive. Turns out the event was to introduce us to the newest member of the Rolls Royce family, the Wraith.
Mercedes-Benz held their annual AMG Driving Academy event yet again, at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. It is that one night of the year where we get to thrash the heck out of various new AMG models, and the slightly new format for this year was better than ever. They packed in so much track-time under the floodlights that several of the others in our media bunch were quitting out of exhaustion by the middle of the evening. We carried on, of course. With cars like the A 45 AMG, the E 63 S AMG, the SL 63 AMG,
An unexpected bonus from attending the Maserati Trofeo races in Abu Dhabi a week ago was netting a closer look at this — the Maserati MC12 Corsa. And you wouldn’t believe how rare it is.
Electric cars have yet to make an impact in the Gulf. The first one to pop in, the limited-range Fisker Karma, stalled before it even got started, although it was more due to a little thing called bankruptcy rather than any market dynamics here. The Lexus “performance” hybrids haven’t done well either, with their high prices and lack of real performance gains. And Nissan keeps showing the Leaf in public, but cannot apparently make it adjust to our weather. But the one electric car the rest of the world is excited about isn’t even offered in the UAE. That’s the Tesla Model S.
Lamborghini has unveiled the Veneno Roadster, a multi-million-Euro-worth limited-edition model, in a grand ceremony held on the upper-deck of an Italian Naval ship, docked at the Mina Port in Abu Dhabi.
The day is getting close, and we’re all excited to show our love for our country. But, there are a couple of things that you have to keep in check while taking part in the National Day celebrations.
Let’s be honest. The GCC car scene would never have been complete without Rolls Royce and their million dirham vehicles floating around with pride and stature. And it is obvious that Rolls Royce recognises that, as the Middle-East remains an important sales platform for the company till date. In any case, this should be why they are revealing their new ‘Ghawwass Edition’ Phantom Coupe.
Rolls-Royce probably has the record for most special-editions by now, taking the crown from the Ford Mustang in recent years. Here we have three special editions, two of them conceived right here in the UAE.
The sub-compact market is a lucrative segment that’s dominated by a select few. With the Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Tiida laying waste to competition by everyone from Chevrolet to Volkswagen, the latest entrant to try their luck is Peugeot. They already had the little 208, but needed more of an edge in terms of space versus price. And so, we have the Peugeot 301, a car designed for “emerging markets” that concentrates on cabin space above all else.
In a PR-building move, Dubai Police has added a Chevrolet Camaro SS to their fleet, apparently for “highway patrol” duties.