Toyota has launched an “interactive telematics service” called T-Connect in the Middle East, which is basically a navigation app for your smartphone, but with an on-call concierge. It will come with every new Toyota purchase.
Sony Middle East has just launched the new Sony Action Cam HDR-AS30V in the UAE. It will be going against the mighty GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, the popular choice for consumers to film and record extreme action videos. We were invited to try out the new Sony Action Cam at the Dubai Kartdrome.
Duracell, a leading manufacturer of alkaline batteries, has introduced its starter automotive batteries to the Middle East market, signing SGTC (Shukralla General Trading Co. LLC), a UAE based company, as its local distributor.
Continental is the fourth largest tyre manufacturer in the world. The German-based brand launched in the UAE in 2009 when they partnered up with Emirates for Universal Tyres (EUT), part of the Abdulla Al Masood and Sons (AMS) Group, to become the sole distributor. They recently sponsored the AMG club’s drag racing event at the Dubai Autodrome, since all Mercedes-Benz AMG models come with Continental tyres as standard.
Much noise was made about Farba Guard possibly giving preferential treatment to Mashfique’s trusty 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee when it went in for a detailing job last year and that the same quality was not provided to other customers. To silence all that, and just because we had the opportunity to avail the discounted DriveArabia price, we grabbed a friends’ 2007 Ford Focus for some pampering.
Let’s get it straight right off the bat that we aren’t equipped to do conclusive tests on tyres. Everybody has their own opinions on which brand is better or worse, but most of them are just hearsay and conjecture. We’ve always had an open mind about tyre brands, which is why we’ve used everything from Made-in-Germany to Made-in-China rubbers, depending on the car, none of which really failed us. So when Bridgstone approached us to try out their all-new Potenza S001 flagship tyres on our Honda S2000, we were wondering how we’ll compare it to what we already had on.
R. Andrew Hicks, a mathematics professor at Drexel University has invented a mirror that eliminates the blind spot and apparently he drew inspiration from a Disco Ball.
There I was, letting my Jeep collect dust as I tested various other cars. Then I hear from a friend of a friend about a new detailing shop that he’d opened in Dubai recently, and was looking to make his mark in the industry. The place is called Farba Guard, and after speaking to Mohsin, the owner, and seeing his passion for detailing cars, I figured I could give the new place a shot and hand over my stagnant Jeep for a complimentary full detail for this story.
It is a given that most people do not use child-safety seats while driving with their kids in the GCC. It has mostly to do with the cultural mindset that will be hard to overcome in the short term, although the cost of child seats can also be a deterrent. When I was a kid growing up in Dubai, I rode in the back seat of my budget-minded father’s craptastic 1988 Honda Civic, with a broken rear-door latch that used to fling the door open on occasion at highway speeds. In the front seat, my mother refused to belt up until it became law.
Last year, I got my Jeep detailed at Yellow Hat in Dubai’s Times Square Mall. While I obviously had it done for free as part of our partnership, the full-detail job actually costs a relatively-low Dhs 750, including the exterior, interior and engine. I was always interested in seeing what they had to offer for this low price.