Gulf News reported that UAE residents will soon be able to obtain driving licences from any emirate regardless of their residence visa, although this was supposed to happen on March 1 with the Federal Traffic Law. We hear it will happen in April.
The Kia Optima, our recommended midsize car that everyone chooses to ignore, has been heavily facelifted for the 2009 model year. Revealed at the 2008 New York Auto Show, the new Optima is still very similar to the existing version.
The 2008 New York Auto Show this week is playing host to a number of hot new cars, all for the American market. None of these cars are due for a GCC release anytime soon, but it is always nice to have hope.
The top breaking news story for tonight is that UK-based parent company Aston Martin, newly independent from Ford, is being sued for US$50 million by its Dubai-based Middle East distributors because of an apparent breach of contract. The lawsuit, filed by Middle East Aston Martin (MEAM), claims one of the new owners of the carmaker, Kuwaiti investment group DAR, is planning to refinance its stake in the company (whatever that means) and has disallowed the distributor to renew its investment, according to Reuters news agency.
The 2009 Nissan Maxima is soon going to debut at the 2008 New York Auto Show this week, but here are some early photos of the car, leaked onto the internet as usual. Let’s see the print magazines play catch-up with us.
Anytime people in the UAE shop for vehicles in places such as Abu Shagara in Sharjah or Aweer in Dubai, there is a chance that the imported used car they are purchasing something stolen in another country. This place itself has become popular around the world as a shipping destination for stolen cars headed for Africa and Russia. It is good to know that Dubai Customs has been cracking down on this shadowy trade for a couple of years now.
Photos of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe have been leaked onto the interweb. Looks like both their new luxury sedan and this new coupe will share a name. No official details have been released.
Kia showed off a bunch of cheesy tuner concepts, which came and went without any hype, at the Geneva Auto Show a few weeks ago. Those were a hint to the production-ready Kia Soul, which will debut at the Paris Auto Show later this year.
UAE-based newspaper Gulf News conducted a survey to determine the types of transportation that people in the UAE use. Among the results, the most revealing is that 85% of the people who answered the survey have been refused a taxi journey based on their choice of destination, although there probably is more to those numbers than the newspaper is ready to admit. 15% are happy with the taxi service?
That’s correct, our latest tester is not that golden Hyundai My-Name-Is-Neo or whatever. It’s the giant Avalanche next to it. Frankly, naming a truck after a natural disaster isn’t the smartest of moves, but it fits in a way, I guess. People should run away from one of these as they do from a real avalanche. Because this thing is huge. It is one of the largest vehicles we’ve ever tested, possibly beaten only by the Infiniti QX56 we got last Eid.