There’s a lot of talk about a second recession hitting at some point in the near future, on the back of an economic downturn in Europe. But that hasn’t affected car sales in the Middle East, and the GCC in particular, as almost all brands have reported a further increase in sales for 2012. For a look at the cross-section of the market, here’s the results from Ford, BMW, Volvo, Porsche, Hyundai and Toyota.
The 2013 Nissan Sentra will be hitting showrooms in the UAE very soon. It is not a replacement for the new sub-compact Nissan Sunny, but will slot in alongside it as a compact sedan offering, effectively replacing the older Nissan Sunny.
The SLS AMG may be two years old now, but it was just recently that Mercedes-Benz released a teaser showing what could be the covered SLS AMG Black Series. However, suspicions were proven true as the automaker removed the tight-fitting drapes.
The new 2013 Kia Sorento has been officially unveiled, and while it looks like a minor facelift, the Korean carmaker claims it is an all-new design with a completely new platform.
The long-running Hyundai Santa Fe was overdue for a remake, given how its stablemates have evolved in the last few years. The first of the new Santa Fe variants will be in GCC showrooms by September.
Photos of the revamped 2013 Lexus LS 460 have been revealed early, depicting a car that is largely the same as the old one, but with a heavy all-round facelift and apparently an all-new interior. An LS 460 F-Sport model is also available for the first time.
Hyundai, one of the world’s fastest-growing automakers, has announced its best ever first-half year sales for the Middle East region. The company registered an increase of 13% in total sales compared to the first six months of 2011, selling 161,554 vehicles. But the sales numbers for each country are more interesting.
For those who didn’t know, BMW also makes motorcycles. The BMW Motorrad division has made a few changes to its 2013 range, the most important being that all of their bikes worldwide will come with ABS as standard now.
Volkswagen Middle East has launched the brand new Passat in the GCC region, now positioned to compete with the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry.
Oman’s Team Qadiroon, comprising of Azzan Abdul Amir Hameed, Faisal Fadhil Mahmood Al Bakri and Issam Abdullah Said Al-Kharusi, won the Ford Focus Rabaa Inter-GCC Rally challenge last Sunday, part of a marketing stunt to promote the Ford Focus.