Classic cars made a scenic pit-stop at Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, as part of the Classic Car Carnival in collaboration with Sharjah Classic Car Museum and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Society Development.
The Mitsubishi Outlander underwent a full redesign only a couple of years ago, becoming a competitive compact crossover with an attractive new face. Then designers decided to plaster a Lancer Evo face onto the likeable 4×4’s front-end, and that facelifted version has been launched as a 2010 model in many countries. But the Japanese were not tired of the outgoing Outlander yet, and so Mitsubishi is still offering the older version, alongside an aggressive version of the new face.
There was a time when General Motors poured all their resources into developing full-size 4x4s such as the Chevy Tahoe. The U.S. operation had pretty much sidelined the sedan market, churning out midsizers so embarrassingly bad that they turned to their Australian and Korean outfits when it came time to expand the GCC line-up. But as Americans started to give up their ever-hungry trucks for fuel-efficient cars, the General came up with the all-new “award-winning” Chevy Malibu.
Samsung Motors, the South Korean joint venture with Renault and Nissan, has released the first official photos of the 3rd-generation Samsung SM5 sedan, set to go on sale by late January in its home country. Incidentally, the outgoing SM5 forms the basis for the GCC-spec Renault Safrane, so this new car is likely hitting the UAE market sometime next year as a 2010 or 2011 model.
Leaked information confirms what has been rumoured for almost a year now. The 2011 Ford Mustang GT is receiving an all-new 5.0-litre V8, marking the return of the Mustang “5.0” badge that was last seen in the mid 1990s.
Introduced less than a year ago, the all-new BMW Z4 range will have another model in its line-up, although it still won’t be an M version. Instead, it will the confusingly-named 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive35is. That little ‘s’ at the end of its name means a bit of extra performance over the sDrive35i, while an optional new M-Sport package will give it a more aggressive look. The Z4 sDrive35is is making its world debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.
The U.S. NHTSA safety agency has announced two factory recalls for the Volvo XC60 and various other older Volvo models involving problems with fuel systems. The recall covers more than 140,000 vehicles manufactured since 2000.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet finally joins the redesigned E-Class line-up for next year. The open-top two-door model, which goes on sale in the first quarter of 2010 in the GCC, will be introduced as a 2010 or a 2011 model, depending on the market.
Debuting at the 2009 Dubai Motor Show, the Nissan Altima sedan and coupe models receive a few changes for 2010, including a restyled bonnet, grille, front bumper and rear license plate finisher, along with new wheel designs.
McLaren Automotive has announced the appointment of Ian Hession as its new sales manager for Middle East and Africa. He will support regional director, Ian Gorsuch, as the new car manufacturer gears up for the launch of the first in its range of high performance cars — the MP4-12C — in early 2011.