News

The reason there has been a lack of updates for the past week is that I was working on a ghetto version of a social networking site, so that you guys can show off your cars and talk to each other on a forum, instead of having to slug it out in the comments section of this blog. I have no programming skills, so I’ve kept it simple on purpose to reduce potential software problems. Let me know if you guys are up for such a “social networking” component, or that overblown mess known as Facebook is enough for you.

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Seeing Sheikh Mohammed zipping around Dubai in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a rolling tribute to the strength of the German manufacturer’s overengineered pre-1995 designs. The Geländewagen is the only Merc to survive the cost-cutting 1995-to-2005 era, when quality hit the crapper. Even the attempt to replace it with the characterless GL-Class flopped. It is hard to imagine that the vehicle that is a favourite with sheikh-copycats has been around since 1979.

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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.

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You wouldn’t believe the amount of skill this Lamborghini owner has as he drifts his Diablo on public city streets somewhere in the United States.

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Steve Saleen, founder of the iconic Saleen tuner outfit that churns out numerous Mustang variants, has left his own company and created a new tuning house. Called SMS, they publicly revealed the production-version of their first model in a new line of Signature Series performance vehicles. The new model is called the SMS 570 Challenger, based on the Dodge Challenger R/T.

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GM is capitalising on the hype that surrounds U.S. President Barack Hussain Obama by unveiling the latest version of the presidential limousine. America’s first black president overcame all sorts of odds to reach this position, proving that all is not as evil in the United States as some would have you believe. While his presidential superpowers are yet to be proven, his car at least seems up to the task, as it is rumoured to be the most fortified limo ever built, enough to fend off everything from white extremists in Ford F-150s to suicidal assassins in Land Cruisers.

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While the appetite for petrol-hogs drive economies here, hybrid-electric cars continue to evolve in Western markets, with the introduction of the 2010 Toyota Prius and the 2010 Honda Insight at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Both are very similar cars, and both come with a petrol engine that supplements itself with self-generated electrical power. Both also offer increasingly impressive fuel consumption figures, compared to any other hybrids before them.

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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.

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The 2009 Detroit Auto Show, also known as the North American International Auto Show, is in full swing. Being among the largest shows of its kind, it suffered its own minor recession when some manufacturers pulled out, but there are still enough new car launches to keep it interesting. Following is a quick look at all the fresh models.

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In Ford’s GCC line-up, the Taurus badge had pretty much disappeared at the turn of the century. However, the name was kept alive in the United States, as the car we know as the Five Hundred was sold as the Taurus in America. The full-size sedan is a competent but boring car, and Ford went back to the drawing board to completely redesign the model, apparently inspired by the immensely smarter design philosophy of their European division. The result is the 2010 Ford Taurus, unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show yesterday.

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