We just attended a launch event at the Dubai Autodrome, although the car we were there to drive doesn’t really belong on a track . There is a new Kia Cerato in town for the 2019 model year, building on the best qualities of the previous model.
This photo was sent to us by reader Mirza Baig back in December 2017. Back then, it was unclear what this mystery crossover could be. It was confusing to pinpoint what it was, because VW is busy launching a barrage of crossovers, from the Teramont to the T-Roc, with the Tiguan and the Touareg in between. But in March, Volkswagen also showed a model called the VW Atlas Cross Sport Concept, which is essentially what the prototype hot-weather testing in Dubai looks like.
We attended the inaugurations of new showrooms for three different brands in the UAE over the past couple of weeks.
Building a luxury car brand is hard. It’s even harder when you’re trying to reinvent an existing brand as a luxury contender. Volvo used to be a purveyor of safe automobiles, slightly premium in price due to their Swedish sourcing. Some thought that the Chinese buying out the carmaker would be a bad thing. But things couldn’t be better once Volvo left previous-keeper Ford’s shadow. Starting with the all-new XC90 a few years ago, Volvo’s offerings have become premium enough to compete with the best that Germany has to offer. When it was first launched here though, the XC90 only came in T6 guise,
It’s not often that on-a-budget car enthusiasts in the GCC actually get what they ask for. But there are good times ahead. The next-gen Ford Focus is coming here (Update: no, it didn’t), and with it an updated ST surely. There is a Honda Civic Type-R test car running around Dubai. And then there is this one — the Fiat 500-based Abarth 595. There is now an official Abarth showroom in Dubai, and we somehow snagged one for a brief drive around town.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has opened the registration for the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport through the website sdchallenge.com.
There was a time when “crossover” simply meant a vehicle that straddled two segments, like a lifted station-wagon or some such, for light-duty offroading such as gravel trails and beaches. It soon evolved into a massive segment filled with SUV-looking vehicles that were still light-duty offroaders at best. But Infiniti brings back the old formula with the Q30-based QX30. Ever seen those hatchbacks in dirt rallies? How cool would those be as a daily driver?
Midsize sedans are increasingly being sidelined in the face of the crossover revolution. Many manufacturers are starting to give up on the segment, but there are two that have been consistently successful — the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. Both have been launched in all-new forms for the 2018 model year, with launch events held at the same location in Dubai, and only a month apart, as if aligned by some cosmic intervention. These two stalwarts have undergone massive changes, with one bringing back the V6 and the other one going full turbo. Seeking to answer the “which is better”
The minivan segment may be dying, but there are quite a few players trying to keep it alive. Honda, Chrysler and Kia offer the only mainstream ones in the GCC. Toyota does a jurassic-era fleet-spec one. BMW and Opel offer a couple of poorly-received ones. And then there is Mercedes-Benz, who have converted a commercial van into a luxury people-carrier, much like what Volkswagen did with their Transporter Multivan.
Al-Futtaim Toyota launched the all-new 2018 Yaris Sedan, which has not only got a new face, but some interior and mechanical upgrades as well.