Honda has unveiled their all-new 2010 VFR 1200F motorcycle. Underneath the extensive bodywork is a vacuum-molded cast aluminium chassis and a 1,237 cc V4 engine that is good for 172 hp at 10000 rpm and 129 Nm of torque at a screaming 8750 rpm. That is just insane for a two-wheeler.
With all the hoopla over Toyota’s safety recall for floor mats, some other “quality” brands continue to fly under the radar. Ever-popular German manufacturer Volkswagen is recalling certain 2006-2010 models of the Audi A3, Audi TT and Audi TT Roadster built between September 29, 2005 and August 26, 2009 for defect that could potentially cook the car’s passengers.
The Chevrolet Caprice may have originated in the United States, but it died there back in 1996, and the one we get in the GCC now is the Australian Holden version. However, after decades of enduring the outdated Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor, U.S. police forces will finally have a new option to look forward to. Because General Motors is going to start selling the Aussie Chevrolet Caprice as a police-only special model in America.
As a sports car, the 2010 Ford Mustang GT is a piece of bull crap. As a practical car, it is an even bigger piece of dinosaur dung. The big V8 engine makes V6 power, the suspension is a joke and the interior belongs in an economy car. But then, why did we like it so much?
The iconic Toyota Sprinter Trueno, also known as the Corolla GT-S in some markets, was a 2-door hatchback that was first introduced in 1983. It had a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine with maybe 130 hp and, more importantly, a balanced rear-wheel-drive chassis. It became more commonly known as the AE86, nicknamed after its chassis designation, and is popular on the Japanese drift scene till today, even though production ended in 1986. It achieved worldwide popularity only during this past decade, as the hero car in the Japanese animated series Initial D. And now, Toyota is readying a successor in the form of the FT-86 concept at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show.
The all-new Porsche Panamera made its UAE debut at an event hosted in Abu Dhabi for customers and media. It was also the first time that the Panamera sedan has gone on sale outside Europe, as the GCC is the second region to make the car available in showrooms.
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel brought his world championship hopes alive again with a superb victory in Japan on Sunday afternoon, winning as he pleased and leading Jarno Trulli’s Toyota home by 4.8 seconds despite a late safety car intervention. Lewis Hamilton was third for McLaren, another 1.5 seconds adrift, after losing out to Trulli in the second pit stops.
The BMW X1 crossover is the German manufacturer’s latest offering. Check out the largely-robotic production line that puts together the vehicle.
The facelifted 2010 Range Rover has been launched in the UAE and other GCC markets. Uncannily popular in rich cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Tata-owned company’s Range Rover model has sold well in its current shape, which was developed under BMW ownership and marketed during Ford management. The new version changes little on the outside, but major updates reside under the skin.
The 2010 Chevrolet Cruze, GM’s all-new Korean-built compact sedan that is surprisingly more anticipated in the Middle East than we expected it to be, is now available in Saudi Arabia and possibly a few other GCC countries, according to reports by our readers. There is no official word yet from GM’s regional headquarters in Dubai, but the Cruze is listed in Chevrolet’s UAE website.