The Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG, the sporty top-of-the-line versions of the newly-facelifted S-Class, were launched at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show with a series of subtle updates. We assume the new models premiered in China because it is one of the few countries in the world where the rich aren’t suddenly going bankrupt.
VW-owned Czech carmaker Skoda has launched the sporty RS versions of the their facelifted 2009 Octavia.
The Porsche Cayenne is among the most common SUVs on UAE roads today. The people who buy them think they are buying exclusivity, but instead they end up having the same goofy-faced truck as their neighbours. So German outfit Gemballa, known for tuning Porsches, have unveiled their latest cure for the common Cayenne, in the form of the Tornado 750 GTS.
Sebastian Vettel started from pole position at Monza last year, and won. He started from pole position in China on Sunday afternoon, and this time he led team mate Mark Webber home in a superb one-two that gave the team its first success under the Red Bull Racing banner.
The Ford F-150 is the top-selling light truck in the United States. The latest redesigned 2009 version is available in hundreds of variants in America, even while GCC dealers are still trying to offload leftovers of the previous version here. Expanding the American line-up is the all-new 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor, a purpose-built high-performance off-road truck built by Ford’s SVT performance division. As Ford teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, it is a last hurrah for SVT before quietly winding down operations.
Volkswagen has just released a more aggressive-looking Tiguan model in Europe called the Volkswagen Tiguan R Line. It does not get any engine upgrades but it does add some flavour to the dull design.
Putting aside its brush with bankruptcy, Ford is celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Mustang, a car that started life as a ‘pony car’ and evolved into a ‘muscle car’ over the years.
Germany-based NOVITEC is building what they term as an “uncompromising high-performance concept” that will be a limited edition of just eleven cars. Indeed, they plan to make the new NOVITEC TuLesto the most exclusive high-end sports car in the world. It is under development right now. What you won’t hear them mention is that it is obviously based on the Ferrari F430.
I get asked a bit too many times which is the best midsize sedan out of the three Japanese stalwarts – the Honda Accord, the Nissan Altima and the Toyota Aurion. Very few even care for oddities such as the Galant, the Passat or the Lumina, but it is not my job to promote those market-losers. Even fewer care that only one member of the A-grade trio is actually built in Japan. I have never driven the three cars back-to-back, and do not intend to, as none of them are exciting enough to warrant a second round. However, I have driven the V6 versions of each of the three four-door cars back in 2008,
GM’s Opel division, all but forgotten in the GCC, has released a power-packed midsize sedan in Europe, called the Opel Insignia OPC. Good looks, 300+ hp turbocharged engine, 4×4 technology, below 6 seconds 0-100 kph and tested extensively in the famous Nurbrgring circuit, everything sounds like a winner, except maybe the name.