Based on the all-new 2010 Nissan Patrol, Infiniti has revealed its redesigned 2011 QX56 full-size SUV at the 2010 New York International Auto Show. The new second-generation QX is scheduled to go on sale at U.S. Infiniti dealerships by this summer. The 2011 QX is offered in two models for the American market, namely the Infiniti QX56 2WD and the Infiniti QX56 4WD.
While the Ford Focus is a bit of a rental-fleet joke in the Middle East, the hatchback is rather popular in Europe, with various versions that even include the hot 305 hp Ford Focus RS hatchback. While an all-new Focus will hit the streets for the 2012 model year, the current model is getting one final hurrah in Europe in the form of the ridiculous Ford Focus RS500.
The all-new 2010 BMW 5-Series, redesigned from the ground up and based on a shortened 7-Series platform, is now on sale at showrooms in the UAE and other GCC countries.
Continuing the barrage of recalls by all manufacturers these past few months, Subaru has joined in, issuing a recall for 1,585 units of the 2010 Subaru Tribeca in the United States.
It is a given that most people do not use child-safety seats while driving with their kids in the GCC. It has mostly to do with the cultural mindset that will be hard to overcome in the short term, although the cost of child seats can also be a deterrent. When I was a kid growing up in Dubai, I rode in the back seat of my budget-minded father’s craptastic 1988 Honda Civic, with a broken rear-door latch that used to fling the door open on occasion at highway speeds. In the front seat, my mother refused to belt up until it became law.
The long-awaited 2010 Honda Civic Type-R has finally reached the shores of the UAE. Available in Dubai and Abu Dhabi showrooms, the Type-R debuts alongside the European Honda Civic 5-door hatchback, both for the first time in the GCC.
Following the Asian recall, General Motors in the Middle East will conduct a recall of Chevrolet Captiva and Cruze as well as GMC Terrain vehicles, all built at the GM Daewoo factory in Korea.
The current Subaru Impreza WRX sedan is lukewarm, to say the least, looking like a econo-appliance rather than the sporting compact that it is. But the 2011 model is going to be facelifted, with a widebody kit similar to the WRX STI.
Jaguar released the 2011 version of the supercharged XKR coupe at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, although it looks the same as the already-facelifted 2010 version. It looks like the only change is an optional increase in the speed limiter, up to 280 kph from 250 kph before.
Nissan unveiled the all-new 2011 Micra at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. While the previous generation was a mini Europe-only hatchback almost as quirky as the Mini, the latest variant is intended to be a “world car” and as such, has been dumbed down to look like a 1990s Korean clunker.