Late last year, on the sidelines of the Mitsubishi ASX crossover launch event at the Dubai Autodrome, Mitsubishi had an egg on four wheels parked outside the halls, plugged into the wall like a blender. We quickly recognised that to be the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Japanese firm’s first commercially-available electric car.
The new Mini has looked pretty much the same since its debut as a lifestyle car sometime in late 2001. There was a major refresh in 2007, with a facelift and new engines. We drove all the body variants since then, including the Cooper S hatchback, the Cooper S convertible and the Clubman S. Then the next big change came in 2010, with a switch to a turbocharged 1.6-litre with a smidge more power for the Cooper S. That engine also made it into the “Mayfair” special edition. We’ll now see what makes it so special.
Some say that Lexus invented the luxury crossover genre back in the late 1990s. Catering only to the U.S. market, the original RX 300 became such a massive hit that it is the ‘L’ company’s best-seller to this day, and helped Lexus become the top luxury brand in the States. Of course, the market dynamics of the Middle East are completely different. In the UAE, the latest RX 350 lives under the shadow of the LX 570. But it is the RX that is the more interesting vehicle in terms of luxury tech.
The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe is probably the most eye-catching car built by the General’s luxury arm since the tail-finned chrome barges of the 1960s. The fact that we snagged the V-series version of the coupe simply adds flame to the proverbial fire. The story is that we skipped the Lebanon launch event for the CTS Coupe in September, so we were promised an early look at the car when it became available for tests here. We suspect that, after losing two CTS-V sedans to retarded journalists, GM is a bit wary of handing over their expensive hypercar to amateurs now,
Back in 2008, Ford has released their full-size Five Hundred in the GCC, and it was a nicer alternative to the classic Crown Victoria. While it had potential, the dull exterior and interior were a let down. However, for 2010, Ford redressed the Volvo-based platform, and renamed it the Taurus. So what is the new Taurus? Just a redesigned Five Hundred? I purchased a 2010 Taurus SEL in Riyadh this summer, so let’s find out.
So we were offered a brand new 2011 Lexus LX 570 for a weekend, or what we like to call the “Lexus Land Cruiser.” Since we didn’t get invited to the actual Toyota Land Cruiser 5.7 launch event, we figured we’d take the LX anyway, since it is essentially the same thing, and we’d indirectly reacquint ourselves with the Land Cruiser. But since we had already reviewed the 2008 LX before, we used this truck for a fuel economy test instead.
Chrysler held a two-day media event for the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the UAE. And by “all-new”, we really do mean all-new. Now based on a Mercedes-Benz M-Class platform, that’s where the similarities end between the former siblings, as the Jeep is a completely unique vehicle.
It is rather amazing how some car manufacturers are actually going backwards in design and creating dullards like the “all-new” VW Passat, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. And then there are some manufacturers whose newest models pretty much look as if they belong at an auto show as a concept car. Like the Infiniti M, the Hyundai Sonata, the Kia Optima, and now the 2011 Volvo S60.
The 2011 Kia Optima is hot. It is so hot that it is sold out wherever it has been launched so far. It is sold out in the UAE too, and it isn’t even out yet officially. The car will hit GCC roads by the first week of November, but Kia organised an all-day media test-drive in Dubai.
Power is the No.1 intoxicant in the world. That’s why Bill Clinton was more powerful than Bill Gates a few years ago; Barack Obama is more powerful than Warren Buffet now. That’s why Sonia Gandhi is more in demand in India than Mukesh Ambani. In our history lessons, we read how several royals, in their quest to quench their thirst for power, slaughtered their own family members. Power is such a powerful intoxicant that Indian politicians do not hesitate to create rift and evoke hatred in their own families, caste, creed, religion, state or region to crawl towards it.
