Al Futtaim Motors has just launched the 2014 Toyota Yaris Sedan in the UAE. It gets a completely new exterior design, but under the hood the same engine choices have carried over from the previous generation Yaris Sedan.
Honda has put up pictures and given a slight peak into the details of the upcoming generation of the Honda Odyssey on their website. The variant put up is essentially the one that will serve the Japanese Domestic Market, but it may not be the one that will make its way into the Middle-East.
The 458 is clearly the prettiest Ferrari in the market, and it’s been further enhanced with a stripe. Or that’s what is visible from the outside. But the 458 Speciale is clearly a special offspring from the Italian supercar maker’s stables, and it made its official debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show a few weeks back.
You’ve seen it everywhere from TV shows to games, but it was about time that Porsche quit playing and revealed the production version of the 918 Spyder at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. In any case, the company made it clear that they were only going to enter the market with a record coupled with it. And what’s better than stealing the title of the fastest street-legal production car from the Dodge Viper ACR at the Nürburgring.
Renault’s flagship hatchback, the Megane is receiving an update for 2014 as it inherits a small cosmetic surgery to the front and also a host of new features before it officially hits the market. The facelifted Renault Megane was shown off at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show a few weeks back.
Land Rover recently revealed the new LR4 to the public eye at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Few minor changes have been made to the exterior and interior to make it more “current”. It is one of Land Rover’s best selling models so they went with the “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” philosophy.
The UAE is not a minivan market. Most of the vans trundling around the streets of Dubai are of the commercial variety, ferrying workers to work and tourists to resorts. In the midst of this, Honda has dropped their own minivan — a proper one, built in America and designed for families. While a somewhat popular segment in the States with several players, here in the GCC, the Odyssey finds itself almost alone in the face of a crossover onslaught. Still, Honda is doing well enough with local sales that they’ve now launched the facelifted 2014 version here, and shipped one to us for a run.
Hyundai’s Middle East office has officially launched the 2014 Hyundai Tucson crossover in the GCC, during the opening ceremony of its new Africa & Middle East Training Academy, the company’s first such dedicated training facility in Dubai. The more interesting tidbit to come out was that the Hyundai Veloster Turbo is finally headed to the UAE.
Mooyah, the latest burger joint to hit the UAE, has re-skinned a Jaguar XJ220 with their logos and placed it in Ibn Batuta Mall in Dubai to promote the opening of their new shop there.
Some of you may have already heard the rumours, but it is official now – Al Futtaim Group will be the official dealer for Lotus in the UAE.