The abilities of a vehicle are nothing when the driver isn’t up for the challenge. Here is footage of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van working Germany’s famed Nurburgring racetrack. Having driven the Sprinter ourselves, we’d say an empty Sprinter can handle long sweeping turns once up to speed.
Tata always intended to sell a “proper” version of the tub-on-wheels Nano in European countries. The fact that the upgraded version actually looks nice is always a good sign that it might do well.
The striking Peugeot 206 first debuted sometime back in 1999, if I remember correctly. The quick-handling hatchback looked good then and it still looks good today. Its replacement, the 207, was launched more than a year ago, but Peugeot decided to continue 206 production side-by-side since it continued to be popular. In a sign that the 206 is not going away anytime soon, Peugeot has done the unthinkable, facelifting an obsolete model. It is now called the Peugeot 206+, and it debuted at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show.
It would seem the Lexus has launched their girly new SUV in Dubai, the 2010 RX350, and did not even tell us. While us being kept in the dark for various products is only getting worse, I heard elsewhere that they plan to target this one towards women, so any men out there who thought about buying an RX — you’ve been warned.
The GCC market gets the 7-seater Mazda CX-9, but the rest of the world also gets a shorter and sportier 5-seater CX-7 model. And that CX-7 has already reached the point where it needed a facelift to stay fresh, so the 2010 model gets a smiley new face to go with a new engine choice.
Aston Martin made a big deal out of reviving their dormant Lagonda nameplate, to be slapped onto a new set of luxury models. At the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, it turns out their first model will be a crossover SUV, as hinted by this concept. While no one ever asked for an Aston Martin SUV, it looks set to become a hall-of-shame hit alongside the likes of best-sellers such as the Porsche Cayenne and the BMW X6.
We got a Veba parking sensor kit installed by our product partners Yellow Hat on our 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This generation of the midsize Jeep did not get factory-installed reverse sensors until 2004, but this Jeep has decent enough all-round visibility to not really need extra help. But we got the provided system installed anyway, and wanted to highlight the dangers of high 4×4 vehicles on city streets.
If you are in Oman on the 5th of March, visit the Bentley travelling museum, where a rare collection of vintage and recent Bentley models will be displayed at the Al Bandar Hotel in Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa.
The Geneva Auto Show is one of Europe’s major motor shows, if not the world. This year, even with the recession, there are an obscene number of supercar launches, although a few others have concentrated on greener cars as well. The 2009 show also plays host to some important new launches, such as the Mazda 3 MPS, the Chevrolet Spark, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe and the Opel Ampera.
I am tired of Lamborghini rehashing their same old cars and tacking on ever-longer random words to the badge. If you are interested in their latest re-creation for the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, read their press release.