Organisers CMPi have revealed what is set to be the region’s premier tuning and custom car and bike show, TURBO: For A Custom Nation. Debuting at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre between 10th and 12th of October (update: postponed to November 13-15) the show will be apparently be packed with stunning vehicles from the world’s most famous and fastest tuners and feature some of the best customised cars exclusively brought in for TURBO.
Naming a car after a natural disaster is never a good idea. It gives people like me a chance to come up with cheesy titles for articles. But I did take our recent Chevy Avalanche Z71 tester up and down the Jebel Hafeet mountain road. Considering it was a family picnic, I did not try to beat any records that I might have set with the Bentley. But it gave me the opportunity to try out some smooth driving techniques with a vehicle that has more body roll than the sinking Titanic.
Gulf News reported that UAE residents will soon be able to obtain driving licences from any emirate regardless of their residence visa, although this was supposed to happen on March 1 with the Federal Traffic Law. We hear it will happen in April.
The Kia Optima, our recommended midsize car that everyone chooses to ignore, has been heavily facelifted for the 2009 model year. Revealed at the 2008 New York Auto Show, the new Optima is still very similar to the existing version.
The 2008 New York Auto Show this week is playing host to a number of hot new cars, all for the American market. None of these cars are due for a GCC release anytime soon, but it is always nice to have hope.
The top breaking news story for tonight is that UK-based parent company Aston Martin, newly independent from Ford, is being sued for US$50 million by its Dubai-based Middle East distributors because of an apparent breach of contract. The lawsuit, filed by Middle East Aston Martin (MEAM), claims one of the new owners of the carmaker, Kuwaiti investment group DAR, is planning to refinance its stake in the company (whatever that means) and has disallowed the distributor to renew its investment, according to Reuters news agency.
The 2009 Nissan Maxima is soon going to debut at the 2008 New York Auto Show this week, but here are some early photos of the car, leaked onto the internet as usual. Let’s see the print magazines play catch-up with us.
Anytime people in the UAE shop for vehicles in places such as Abu Shagara in Sharjah or Aweer in Dubai, there is a chance that the imported used car they are purchasing something stolen in another country. This place itself has become popular around the world as a shipping destination for stolen cars headed for Africa and Russia. It is good to know that Dubai Customs has been cracking down on this shadowy trade for a couple of years now.
Photos of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe have been leaked onto the interweb. Looks like both their new luxury sedan and this new coupe will share a name. No official details have been released.
Kia showed off a bunch of cheesy tuner concepts, which came and went without any hype, at the Geneva Auto Show a few weeks ago. Those were a hint to the production-ready Kia Soul, which will debut at the Paris Auto Show later this year.