Dubai’s Al Yousuf business group, which among its assets can count the Daihatsu dealer franchise in the UAE, has apparently bought out the US-based Phoenix Motorcars firm, in which it was a silent shareholder previously. Phoenix is a builder of niche electric vehicles and went bankrupt recently. Al Yousuf says this could mark the entry of electric vehicles in the UAE and GCC region.
We still hold fast to our belief that Twitter is the biggest waste of time since the advent of the internet, but occasionally, about 1% of the time, it can be a source of fresh news. The awful Dodge Durango, still in showrooms as a “new” car in the U.S. and the U.A.E. after it went out of production in 2008, is going to be replaced by a new version based on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. And some media hack leaked a photo of one on Twitter.
The other day, at a press event for some car here, all of us media people were sitting at lunch together, and they were all excitedly talking about their upcoming free trip to the United States to test-drive the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The ironic bit was it seemed like I was the only one not invited, and I was the only one who actually owns a freaking Jeep Grand Cherokee, while Chrysler Middle East knew that about me too. So much for brand loyalty. That international Jeep media event is over now though, and the reports are already coming in.
Volvo has introduced upgraded versions of their turbo and non-turbo engine offerings. The new 6-cylinder engines will become available in various 2011 Volvo models.
Portugese driver Francisco Carvalho went off the track at a recent World Touring Car Championship event. Competing in the Seat Leon Euro Cup Race, he got nudged by another racer, which quickly made Carvalho’s car a shining example of what happens when you lose control at high speeds. However, unlike most “accidents” on public roads, no one was injured in this track incident thanks to a racing rollcage and vigilant marshals.
Gulf Advantage Automobiles, a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Al Baazei and Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, has been appointed as exclusive distributors of Renault passenger cars and light commercial vehicles across the Kingdom following a signing ceremony held earlier today.
The 2010 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo has apparently been out for a while now, but this test vehicle is the first one I’ve ever seen on UAE roads. At a price point that competes directly with the handsome BMW X5, while looking like it does, it isn’t hard to see why it will remain rare. However, simply by its oddity does it stand out. When was the last time you bothered giving an X5 a second glance? You will definitely be staring at this one.
The current generation of the Nissan Murano has been out for a year now in the GCC, and is a rather rare sight on Dubai roads, partly due to an massive increase in price and partly because that increase came in the middle of the worst recession ever. However, the newly-premium Murano had actually debuted two years ago in Europe, so their version has received a facelift for 2011.
The Hyundai Genesis Coupe debuted for 2010 with much fanfare, being directly compared to the Infiniti G37 Coupe by the foreign media. It was launched in the UAE in only a single V6 trim level, priced almost half as much as the tiny Nissan 370Z. We never drove it, but we did feel it up at the Dubai showroom. The interior was a let-down in terms of materials, but it looks like Hyundai has addressed that for the 2011 model year.
Porsche is apparently threatening to sue Nissan in the United Kingdom over an ad campaign attacking the performance of rival German brands, also including BMW and especially Audi. It seems Nissan is also using marked rival cars to roam the streets.