The all-new 2013 Nissan Altima has just been launched in the Middle East, at an event in Dubai. Available in 2.5-litre and 3.5-litre versions, the Altima is part of Nissan’s big plan to increase their sedan market-share in the GCC.
We’ve made it a point to upgrade our self-owned fleet with iconic cars, ditching anonymous cars like the Peugeot 307 and the Mitsubishi Galant and replacing them with stuff like the Honda S2000 and the Range Rover Vogue. But then why are we keeping the lowly Korean-built 2009 Renault Safrane around? Well, it just became the most iconic car in our fleet, having appeared in the hottest music video of this decade and the next.
It seems Kia is getting into the product-placement game in full force, with their cars set to appear in the upcoming James Bond movie Skyfall.
We already drove the 2012 Chrysler 200 at the launch event in Dubai, so we’ve already formed our first impressions on it. But we got it back in for an extended second round to see if it a legitimate midsize contender.
In 2008, Nissan teamed up with Sony PlayStation and started the Nissan GT Academy to see if a fast racing game player become a fast professional race driver in the real world. Over the past four years, the GT Academy has proved to be a unique and successful route to top flight motorsport for a select few around the globe. And now, GT Academy will offer entrants from the Middle East the chance to go from gaming to racing.
We were aware already that Dubai Police was trying out new patrol cars from various manufacturers, but it looks like they’re getting serious about it. They’ve released a photo, showing the 2012 Dodge Charger in a variation of the Dubai Police livery. In the background, we can spot a BMW 5-Series, a Toyota Prado and a Ford Explorer. Further photos show a Ford Taurus and a Dodge Durango in police markings as well.
Ducati opened their latest showroom in the UAE, Goodyear donated items to blue-collar workers for the summer, and Gillette is running a car design contest in the GCC.
It isn’t everyday that media people get to drive a supercar. Well, in our case, we never get to drive a supercar. The closest we’d come before was the Nissan GT-R, but that’s stretching it. But then we finally managed to talk ourselves into the driver’s seat of one. We skipped secretive Ferrari, Lamborghini et al and went straight to the McLaren MP4-12C, the British carmaker’s first proper model since they redefined the meaning of “supercar” more than a decade ago with the McLaren F1.
It’s the same, but different. If you remember, we drove around in a borrowed 2012 Volkswagen Passat CC for the better part of five months last winter. It was a great car. So great in fact, that we called it the best midsize sedan ever. And the 2013 builds on that excellent base.
“Wait, what? You bought a Range Rover?” Yes, we bought a Range Rover. “Really? A Range Rover?” Yes, a Range Rover. The big one. It’s grey or green depending on what time of day you look at it. And it’s fun saying that we own a Range Rover.