Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury

The Kia Mohave is apparently for sale in the GCC already. We only find out about local Kia news through third-party sources, since the Kia’s regional reps generally suck at communication. I found out through a billboard on the street. We also believe the truck-based offroadable Mohave is only available in “280 hp” 3.8-litre V6 form. We already reported on the Mohave before. Anyway, I am using this opportunity to announce that from now on, I’ll start replacing the term “4WD” with the term “SUV” in reference to such vehicles.

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The controversial Toro Rosso STR2 was brought to the UAE and was briefly displayed in front of the Yellow Hat auto accessories superstore at Times Square Mall in Dubai. The STR2, brought in to showcase Advanti Racing wheels, was only shown over the weekend of June 5 to 8.

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One of our readers, Mohamad, pointed us to a thread at nissan-arabia.com, showcasing photos of a consignment of seven American-spec 2008 Nissan GT-R models which have made their way to Abu Dhabi for local customers who can’t wait till next year’s release of a GCC-spec version. The same reader also spotted a GT-R at a Nissan workshop in Dubai, probably used for technician training. Yet another reader, Don, spotted the all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima trundling around at a freezone in Dubai, which is the first real confirmation that the new Maxima is indeed coming to the GCC.

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I figured I should go over Dubai’s heavily-hyped hybrid taxis a bit more, considering the general media is happy just reprinting press releases. Operated by the much-loved Road & Transport Authority (RTA), the cars — five Chevy Malibu Hybrids and five Chevy Tahoes Hybrids — are beginning their one-year trial to see if they survive the Middle Eastern heat and whether they actually save any fuel in this publicity stunt.

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The week when we picked up our first Infiniti EX35, we also drove a Honda Accord, a Jaguar XF and a CSV CR8, while also covering the Yellow Hat tint install on our BMW M Roadster — a hectic week for sure. I didn’t spend too much time going over the EX35’s features after measuring its performance figures. So we asked for an EX35 again, before I take a break from testing any more cars for a while. This second greyish EX35 is actually a different car than our previous silver tester, but all else was the same,

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Dubai’s Road & Transport Authority (RTA) has, over the last few weeks, come up with various ideas that they are going to implement over the coming months. Some of these ideas seem to be confidential in nature, but Gulf News somehow always gets their hands on official sources.

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The Nissan Xterra 4WD and Navara pickup have been facelifted for the 2009 model year.

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If you are into aftermarket automotive equipment shows, there is the Automechanika Middle East trade show in Dubai, already running from June 1 to 3 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi, events are taken to the next level by the Turbo tuner show in Abu Dhabi, to be held from November 13 to 15 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

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If you are interested in taking dynamic photos and videos of your moving car while on the move, instead of having your buddy hang out the window of another car, the better option is to invest in a car camera mount. Car camera mounts are not available at all locally, and have to be ordered from abroad through the internet. Prices range from US$ 50 (Dhs 184) to thousands of dollars for the big ones used in movies, plus shipping. But after extensive searching, we found this unbranded possibly-homemade one on Ebay.com for US$ 25 (Dhs 92), plus shipping from America for US$ 32,

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