This has to be one of the most daring TV commercial that any car company has ever come up with. Renault is showing off the safety of their cars in the ballet of crushed sheetmetal and twisted frames. It’s an ad for the European market of course.

A soft-top convertible version of the 2008 BMW 1-Series has been unveiled in Europe, even before the coupe version has gone on worldwide sale. Like the coupe, the convertible will also be available in a top-of-the-range 135i variant, among others. Read more… »

Nissan is going to unveil its best ever sports car at the end of next month during the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show. Dropping the “Skyline” name, it will be called the Nissan GT-R, and will be equipped with a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 powerplant, pumping out an estimated 480 hp to 530 hp. Shown above is the disguised working prototype. The surprising part is it has unofficially been proven to be quicker around a track than a Porsche 911 Turbo, which costs twice as much as the GT-R. Read more… »

I just got the press release for the new 2008 Chevy Avalanche, to be launched mid-October, claiming their 5.3-litre V8 to have 355 hp. I also read a review in Wheels magazine where the writer assumes the Tahoe has 355 hp, and that the Murano has 265 hp. And then there is another review on AutoMiddleEast where they use Ford ME’s explanation that net hp means power at the driven wheels. Also, a lot of people assume that since Nissan ME claims the Infiniti G35 has 330 hp locally, the American-market models have more catalytic converters or something to reduce their power to 306 hp. They are all WRONG! Read more… »

A number of new cars were launched this month, although not all of them had the fancy launch party that Nissan had. BMW didn’t even have a party for their Rolls and Mini models. Read more… »

While I test cars, I unconsciously compare them to my 17-year-old inline-six “baby” Mercedes to see how far cars have progressed (not far enough really). Similarly, I compare tested sports cars with my 20-year-old modded twin-turbo Supra. But I’ve never owned a 4WD before, and I needed one to judge new trucks against. I set a budget, and I started researching for a reliable, tough and true 4WD that could go up against the latest. Oddly enough, the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 you see in the picture fit the bill. A Jeep? Reliable? There’s more to the story. Read more… »

We’ve come across full press photos of the all-new 2009 Honda Jazz, also known as the Fit in other markets. This car will be released at the Tokyo Auto Show this year Read more… »

The 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser has officially been unveiled in Australia and the United States, each offering different engines. Read more… »

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. We just picked up a brand new Toyota FJ Cruiser, and after the Mini, Hummer and Corvette, this is our fourth yellow car in a row. Yellow! Never have we seen so much yellow! Yellow fever aside, the FJ really is the Japanese answer to the Hummer. We found its back-to-basics off-road equipment to be adequate, while its power leaves the seriously-slow H3 in the dust. Both are rated at around 240 hp, but the FJ has more torque and is somewhat lighter, with an extra speed in the auto gearbox. Read more… »

We’ve just been invited to the launch of three all-new Nissan 4WD vehicles - the Qashqai compact crossover 4WD, the Xterra midsize five-door offroader and the Navara offroader pickup. Read more… »

Lamborghini unveiled a limited version of the Murcielago at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. Calling it the Lamborghini Reventón, just 20 will be produced, and while it is based on the Murcielago LP640 completely under the skin, this car will be priced at 1 million Euros, before taxes. Read more… »

In recent years, BMW has started showing off “concept” versions of near-production models. Keeping up this new tradition, they’ve unveiled the “concept” BMW X6 crossover 4WD coupe whatever at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. Read more… »

We were invited to the Middle East launch today of the 2008 Nissan Altima sedan and coupe at the Dubai Autodrome, and got to do three hot laps around the track. Read more… »

Three new German wagons will debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show - the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG wagon, the Audi RS6 Avant, and the Porsche Cayenne GTS (which technically is a off-road 4WD, but who uses it as one?). Read more… »

It is amazing that the company which brought us the goofy Spark can also create something as world-beating as the Corvette ZO6. The thing has enough power to wipe out most of the German and Italian competition. In fact, you’d have to spend a million dirhams at the Ferrari showroom to overtake this American piece of plastic. Shop at Porsche, and you have to get the Turbo model to take on the ZO6, at a 35% higher price. Think it can’t handle? Well, think again. Read more… »

Five new cars were launched in Dubai in the last few days, with more to follow. These include the Mitsubishi Lancer, the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Honda Legend, the Toyota FJ Cruiser and the Volvo C30. Read more… »

The 2008 Mazda 6 will be launched at the Frankfurt Auto Show this year, and we have to say, it is absolutely stunning. Engines will include a four-cylinder and a 3.5-litre V6, as well as three body styles, as before. Read more… »

GM came through for us and home-delivered this yellow Corvette ZO6 with a six-speed manual. This should amount to our fastest car yet that we’ve had for review. 505 horsepower is no joke. This is also the first time ever I blurted out “cool car” to the dude who handed me the keys. Read more… »

We’ve just been invited to the Dubai launch of the all-new Nissan Altima. We don’t know if it will be advertised as a 2008 or 2009 model, but yes, the new coupe is also coming here alongside the sedan. Read more… »

To our regular visitors, it might seem obvious that I haven’t put up a new car review in almost two weeks now. The truth is I’ve been swamped with–what else–life, since this website is nothing more than charity work on my part (given I make almost no money from it). I’ll be busy this week as I have to attend three new car launches at least. But I’ve also been a bit frustrated over stuff involving this website too. Read more… »