German manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have each taken home three awards at the first Middle East Motor Awards (MEMA) today. The awards were based on points issued by 13 judges for each nominated model. I was one of the judges.
His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah will open the 10th International Automobile Show (IAS) today (14 October 2010) at Expo Centre Sharjah, which offers car enthusiasts and families alike five days of car showcases, demonstrations and even an off-road course for visitors to tackle. DriveArabia.com also has a stand there, and is part of the judging committee for two events.
Two months before it opens, the Abu Dhabi International Motor Show (ADIMS) has become the largest and most comprehensive motor show in the Middle East this year. Already, 80 per cent of floor space has been sold to exhibitors, with big names such as Ferrari, Toyota and General Motors already confirmed.
Nissan’s UAE dealer will be launching the all-new 2011 Infiniti M37 and M56 models at a press event in Dubai on October 10, and will showcase the car to the public in their stand at the 2010 Sharjah Auto Show, starting October 14 this week. A wider Middle East press launch was already held in Lebanon, from what we heard.
After the summer break, auto show season is upon us again, with the 2010 Paris Motor Show this October. The massive show is playing host to at least 70 new production cars and concepts, including a big contingent of green cars and ideas. Highlights include an entirely new Lotus line, a new Chevrolet economy range, a Lamborghini concept car, the entire redesigned Ford Focus range, and a couple of scooter concepts from Mini and Smart.
The new 2011 Volkswagen Passat has been revealed at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, in both sedan and wagon variants, with a choice of four petrol engines alongside a couple of Euro-centric diesel motors.
Land Rover has finally unveiled the 2012 Range Rover Evoque in its entirety. The Evoque is a compact luxury crossover with no discernible offroad capability, and will initially be available in 3-door trim, with a 5-door coming later.
German carmaker Porsche has announced yet another variant of its aging 911, dubbed the 911 Speedster, which will make its official debut at the upcoming 2010 Paris Motor Show. Judging by the lukewarm response to our last 911 story, interest in the 911 is waning fast, and new variants of the same old formula isn’t going to cut it.
BMW has released first images of the upcoming redesigned 2011-2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe, as usual badging it as a concept, even though it looks pretty much production-ready.
The all-new 2012 Ford Focus is going to take a while to reach showrooms, but Ford has already trotted out the entire model line-up, including this Focus ST “design study” that will form the basis for a powerful new hot hatch.