Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury

The V6-powered 2011 Volkswagen Touareg we drove some time ago was an impressive SUV. With upscale gadgets, a quiet ride and a luxurious interior, it was quite possibly the best road-going 4×4 in its class. But then we drove the recently-revealed V8-powered version, a model that VW took their time to release, and that too in only a few markets, as they pondered whether there was still a market for V8 models in a world where the latest fad is to go green. Considering we kept this rather-excellent SUV for the better part of a month, we decided to see if a V8 trucklet hurts or helps Volkswagen’s “green”

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Hyundai recently launched the latest facelifted version of their Genesis luxury sedan in the UAE. Extending the range further is the Genesis Prada GP500 edition, which made its GCC debut at the 2011 Dubai Motor Show.

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Volkswagen has unveiled the Cross Coupe concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, supposedly showcasing VW’s future design direction. It might also be gauging interest in a “four-door coupe-crossover” for all we know.

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When we saw the 2012 Ford Focus in person for the first time at the Dubai Motor Show, we were quite impressed by the attractive-than-most design and the better-than-most quality. In our book, it had already won the battle with the Hyundai Elantra and the Honda Civic just sitting there on the show floor. Then we took it for a brief spin at a public “Ford Factor” event, which didn’t tell us much, other than it can match the smaller Ford Figo on a tight autocross track. But then we met one of Ford’s PR bosses, Sue, at that event,

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The much-hyped Toyota FT-86 has finally been revealed, except that the marketeers have decided to rename the production version as the Toyota GT 86, after spending millions marketing the FT-86 name. Toyota’s new GT 86, with its name derived from the AE86-code Toyota Corolla GT-S of the 1980s, makes its world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show on November 30. The compact 2+2 model will go on sale in Europe in June 2012, but is also slated to come to the Middle East. Incidentally, it will be known in Japan as the Toyota Hachiroku, which translates to simply Toyota 86.

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A list of the 12 most profitable vehicles since 1990 includes the most obvious candidates, namely premium German cars that are more expensive than they should be, and big American trucks that double as commercial vehicles, aside from some midsize sedans and aging sports cars.

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The all-new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet will be joining the 911 Coupé for next year. First models of the Carrera and Carrera S convertible can be expected as early as March 2012 worldwide.

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While our VW Passat CC long-termer has gone in for some bodywork after a hit-and-run incident, we picked up a 2012 Volkswagen Touareg to test-drive in the meantime. And it’s not just any Touareg, but the new 4.2-litre V8 version that debuted a few months ago, and that too in pricey “Exclusive” trim.

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Seemingly not hitting sales targets as a straight-up Mini competitor, Audi has now launched a traditional 5-door version of their 3-door A1 supermini hatchback, dubbing it the Audi A1 Sportback.

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