Audi officially launched the Q8 in the GCC a few months ago as their new SUV flagship, with a drive around Omani mountains. Late to the game when it comes to “four-door coupe crossover” thingies, the Q8 vaguely follows the design theme of the ugly BMW X6 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Coupe models, but does it in a much better job of combining an SUV with a roof design similar to a coupe.
Porsche recently held their international launch of the 2019 Panamera GTS and Panamera GTS Sport Turismo in Bahrain. Like the previous generation, the Panamera GTS sits between the 4S and Turbo variants, with enough options between the three to give potential buyers a variety of choices.
The 2020 Range Rover Evoque debuts as the SUV’s second generation, looking much like the “Victoria Beckham-designed” first generation, but now carrying Velar inspired design and mild-hybrid technology.
Known for its bulletproof reliability in previous guises, the Toyota Corolla is one of the most iconic cars ever to be produced. Many decades into its production, the trusty Corolla sedan is entering its 12th generation. The fully revamped 2020 Toyota Corolla is based on the Corolla hatchback that was recently released in the United States.
Half a decade into its production, the legendary Porsche 911 is prepared to enter its 8th generation. Codenamed the 992, the new Porsche 911 will be revealed at the beginning of 2019 but before that, the prototype of the 2019 Porsche 911 is going through some rigorous testing to prep it for the most extreme of conditions.
Chevrolet has entered the electric car market in the Middle East with the introduction of the Bolt EV. This model has already been on sale in the United States since late 2016, and then reached European shores as an Opel Ampera-e the following year. We were given a glimpse of the Bolt at last year’s Dubai Motor Show and it’s now available in UAE showrooms.
Roadsters aren’t the big-volume players in BMW’s line-up, but this genre has thrown up some of the Bavarian marque’s most iconic models over the years, dating back to the timeless 328 (1936-40) and sublime 507 (1956-59). In more recent times, we’ve had the offbeat Z1 (with its unusual vertically sliding doors) and the beautiful Z8 that served as James Bond’s ride in the 1999 blockbuster The World is Not Enough.
The G-Wagen finally got its first ever major revamp since it debuted in the late 70s. Sure, there have been numerous facelifts, interiors and engine upgrades over the years, the basics underneath always remained the same, and it was horrendous to drive (once you take off the fanboy glasses). The new 2019 model changes all that. Mostly.
With a couple of recalls accounting up to more than a million vehicles each, the month of October did have some impact on the car industry.
The Cullinan is a big deal for Rolls-Royce. And you know the new SUV is important to our region when the model hits UAE roads within weeks of the international drive event in the United States. While we weren’t invited to that U.S. one, we did get to try out the British carmaker’s first offroader in Dubai, if only on a strictly onroad drive.