Asian Car News

The existing Mitsubishi Eclipse, sold only in North America, gets a facelift for the 2009 model year to make it look like the new Lancer Evolution. Except that the Evo remains the true sports car of the range.

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The 2009 Hyundai Sonata will debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, with a new front end, a small bump up in power, and a totally revised interior.

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The late-entry V6 Galant may have just been released here, but the American market is already readying a facelifted replacement for the sleepy Mitsubishi midsizer, to be shown at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show next week. The front gets a minor facelift, but the rear is completely changed.

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The 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit played host to the unveiling of the all-new 2009 Toyota Venza crossover. Toyota calls it a “crossover sedan” that will compete with the Murano and the Edge, but we are not sure Toyota needs yet another fake 4WD in its range alongside the RAV-4. We assume this “lifestyle” vehicle might come here too eventually.

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The new 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Unlike the previous insult to the badge, the new Lancer Ralliart is like an entry-level version of the upcoming Evolution, with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel-drive.

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Ratan Tata, boss of Indian conglomerate Tata, had vowed some time ago to release a “1-lakh” car, essentially a car that costs 100,000 Indian rupees, or US$2,500. That translates to Dhs 9,350 for a new car, and it has just been launched in India as I speak, as the Tata Nano.

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The 2009 Hyundai Genesis has been officially unveiled for the American market. The full-size rear-wheel-drive car is designed to challange the likes of Lexus and Infiniti, if not also the Germans. But pricing is expected to be around US$30,000 in the States.

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At a time when petrol prices are going up, Kia has decided to launch a fullsize 4WD with a truck-like body-on-frame structure, with a choice of V6 and V8 engines. Depending on market, it will be called Borrego or Mohave.

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You must’ve read all the reviews about this big lump already, but I’ll probably be able give some new insights into this long-awaited new model, given the sad nature of journalism in this region. It certainly isn’t the rocket that everyone was hoping for, given that it gets a 4.7 V8 instead of the 5.7 in the GCC. But it is a very luxurious vehicle that packs some interesting new technology.

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I was highlighting some time ago how the 2009 Nissan GT-R outran many high-dollar exotics at the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany, with a time of 7:38 minutes, better than the Porsche 911 Turbo and the overhyped Audi R8. However, the pricier Porsche 911 GT2 is even faster, at 7:32 minutes. But another upcoming Japanese car is already running circles around it. The prototype Lexus LF-A posted a time of 7:24 minutes, in full camouflage no less.

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