The 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport was launched in Dubai at a quick media event where its off-road abilities were showcased. First shown at Moscow Auto Show last year, this new midsize model is really the replacement for the aging Nativa, and is based on the L200 pickup.
Created solely for the United States market back when big SUVs were popular there, the American-built Toyota Sequoia received a redesign in 2008. Based on the American Toyota Tundra pickup truck, the brutishly big Sequoia makes the Land Cruiser look like a RAV-4, and intended to compete with the Chevy Suburban and the Nissan Armada. And then the U.S. economy went to hell, so Toyota decided to send those hard-to-sell trucks in the GCC instead, where things are a bit better. And therefore the 2009 Toyota Sequoia was launched yesterday in Dubai.
The 2009 Volvo XC60 is a new crossover SUV that the Ford-owned Swedish company thinks will raise regional Volvo sells by an unrealistic 30%. The GCC version was launched in Dubai a few days ago, and Volvo gave the press a taste of the XC60’s capabilities at the Dubai Autodrome on January 28. They certainly had an impressive line-up of events planned.
Porsche has added yet another new model to the latest generation of the 911 with the new GT3. Released alongside is the GT3 RSR racing version.
The 2010 Toyota Camry, first shown at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show recently, has quietly received a minor facelift and an engine upgrade.
The all-new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, the German manufacturer’s best seller, is back with a new look as controversial as the time it gained four round headlights for the first time. The new E-class is unoriginal in almost all aspects, starting from the Lexus GS-like front end to the Mitsubishi Galant-like rear lights, with a dash of LEDs in the front bumper to get that Audi effect that is so common nowadays on modified cars here. About the only original bit is the flared rear-side fenders, paying homage to 1950s ‘Ponton’ Mercs, although it doesn’t fit in at all on a modern sedan.
We hear from AutoMiddleEast that the much-hyped VW Scirocco was recently launched for the GCC at a press conference in Dubai. Since we are on Volkswagen’s shit-list, we were not even invited, but we can at least gather an idea from other publications.
For a long while, Ford had been publicly boasting about their development of a new turbocharged series of engines. The first of these has now been unveiled in not one, but three different models. The new EcoBoost engine will be an available option in the Ford Flex, the Lincoln MKS and the all-new Flex-based Lincoln MKT, all debuting at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
The Ford Shelby GT500 returns in the new-and-improved Mustang shell, with more power and refinement to boot. It comes in coupe and convertible forms.
While we get no official love from Maserati’s GCC reps in terms of test cars, we can report that the facelifted 2009 Maserati Quattroporte is now on sale at dealerships in Dubai and the UAE, as newspaper ads for the car appear on a regular basis. The current range includes the standard Quattroporte as well as the Quattroporte S, while a new Quattroporte Sport GT S will debut at the upcoming 2009 Detroit Auto Show and soon join the GCC line-up next year.