The 12th Harley Owners Group MENA rally, hosted in Qatar this year, ran through 22nd to 24th of March, 2012. The event had hundreds of H.O.G members coming from all over the Middle East and other locations to flaunt their motorcycles.
The Nissan Altima is quite possibly second in midsize-sedan sales in the UAE, behind the Toyota Camry, and easily in the top three on the overall GCC market by our estimates. Apparently, it has toppled the Honda Accord for second-place behind the Camry even in the United States, where it is built. So the launch of the all-new 2013 Altima is, by all accounts, more important than any other car in its current line-up.
The 2012 Ford Focus went on sale in the GCC recently, and to promote the car, Ford Middle East is doing an event called Ford Focus Rabaa Rally in an “interactive inter-GCC rally tour.”
Nissan Middle East is now offering a VVIP version of its latest GT-R model. The 2012 Nissan GT-R is one of the fastest sports cars in the world, but it never had the material finish of its overpriced competitors from Germany and Italy. Pay for the VVIP edition though, and that becomes a non-issue.
BMW has unveiled their latest iteration of the BMW M6. Essentially an M5 with two doors, the M6 will first be released as a convertible, followed by a coupe a bit later.
The BMW 7-Series is the best-selling Bimmer in the Middle East, and apparently the best-selling full-size luxury sedan in this region too. But about a decade ago, BMW management had mentioned that there will never be an ‘M’ version of the 7-Series, because it did not go well with the rest of the ‘M’ line-up. Of course, since then there has been SUVs with the ‘M’ badge even while most M cars are now automatic, but the 7-Series had to make-do with just an ‘M Edition’ upgrade package. The latest version of the BMW 7-Series M Edition has just been launched for sale in the GCC.
The facelifted Lexus LX 570 debuted in the United States recently as the 2013 model, but the luxury full-size 4×4 has just been officially launched in the UAE, as a 2012 model.
The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat sedan has finally debuted in the GCC, at the 2012 Qatar Motor Show. Unveiled alongside the facelifted VW “Passat” CC from Germany, the actual Passat for this region will now be the U.S. version, which is built in the state of Tennessee and is a bit larger than the European version.
The all-new 2013 Ford Fusion midsize sedan has debuted at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, touting styling that seems to meld an Aston Martin front end with the rear of a Ford Mondeo. Interestingly, the same car will also be launched in Europe as the Ford Mondeo, so it remains to be seen what it will be called in GCC markets.
The 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser will receive a minor facelift. Japanese brochure images of the facelifted 4×4 have been floating around for a while now.