The 2009 Dubai Motor Show is running from the 16th to the 20th of December, featuring lots of glitzy luxury cars and tons of supercars, even though it was supposed to have a ‘green’ theme this year. A few international debuts also took place here, with the Kepler Motion, the Luxgen7 SUV, the Brabus GLK V12 and the Kia Cadenza being the notable ones. The number of local debuts is too numerous to list. Photos by Faisal “Energizer” Khatib.
Taiwanese carmaker Yulong, building cars since the 1950s for their own region, has started their international expansion, starting with the Luxgen line of vehicles in the GCC. Their first product here is the Luxgen7 MPV.
Honda is skipping the 2009 Dubai Motor Show, but that did not stop their UAE office from previewing new models for next year, at a press event in Dubai yesterday. The 2010 Honda Civic 5-door hatchback, Honda Civic Type-R hatchback and the Honda Accord Crosstour were displayed. Also launched were a range of original Mugen accessories.
Peugeot introduced three all-new models at a pre-launch event for the UAE, held on the occasion of the 2009 Dubai Motor Show. The Peugeot 308 CC convertible, the Peugeot 2008 crossover and the Peugeot RCZ coupe will go on sale in the GCC by the end of the first quarter of 2010.
Tickets for the Gulf Bike Expo 2010 are now on sale. The three-day fiesta of bikes, music and fashion will include concerts from
Nickelback and Status Quo, an exhibition featuring hundreds of bikes by Ducatti, Suzuki, Kawaski, Honda and Harley Davidson and more, as well as fashion from brands such as Ed Hardy.
With a top speed of 322.3 kph, German tuner Brabus claims that their new modified Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class crossover has set a new speed record for street-legal SUVs on an Italian high-speed test track in October. That’s because the exclusive special model is powered by a twin-turbo V12 engine. Incidentally, it will also makes its world debut at the 2009 Dubai Motor Show.
Honda will not be taking part in the 2009 Dubai Motor Show. However, they have chosen instead to showcase their upcoming GCC-spec models for next year at a press event next week. The new models consist of the marque’s funkiest models, in what looks like an attempt to inject some excitement into an otherwise boring UAE line-up of family cars.
The all-new Bentley Mulsanne debuted in the UAE at an event held in Dubai. While we likely looked at a pre-production example, it offered us a view of the complete car as well as what goes into making a customised customer car.
Renault’s truck division introduced their new Kerax truck models at an event in Dubai. They also took the opportunity to introduce the Sherpa military 4×4 in civilian guise for the first time in the GCC. Also at hand were two of the 12 vehicles that went on a “cape to cape” expedition from Norway to South Africa to prove the durability of the trucks.
Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah looks to take top honours at the Dubai International Rally and secures his sixth Middle East Rally Championship title.