As part of Jaguar’s 75th anniversary, their design team has created the XJ75 Platinum Concept, a one-of-a-kind design project which was recently on display at the U.S. Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance show. The XJ75 Platinum Concept is a demonstration of the design customisation potential of the new XJ luxury sedan. This special-edition vehicle is slated to be available in the Middle East sometime in 2011.
The original Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class gave birth to the “four-door coupe” marketing gimmick for slinky sedans back in 2003. And it still looks as fresh as the day it debuted, likely due to its inherent rarity. Now, after months of spy shots all around the world, the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS has finally been revealed, before its debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show in October this year.
Porsche has announced that they will begin offering a Panamera Turbo Powerkit that increases engine output to 540 hp, 40 horses more than the standard 500 hp model. Other personalization upgrades include a Sport Design Package and the new 20-inch Panamera Sport wheels for the Panamera Turbo and the other Porsche V6 and V8 Panamera models.
Following up on the G-Power M5 Hurricane RS, with its tuned 750 hp engine powering it to a ‘world’s fastest sedan’ record of 367.4 kph earlier this year, G-Power has created a new version of their modified BMW M5 called the Hurricane RR, now capable of 372.1 kph.
Since my last report, much has happened with the “Z.” Besides getting a job in Abu Dhabi which called for multiple trips in the week to Abu Dhabi and back to Dubai, I had taken the car twice to Fujairah, became airborne with the car (almost becoming airborne myself!), and eventually selling it where it was shipped to Iran in June 2010. As a petrolhead, it was a fun experience to keep it always waxed up, hearing the deep exhaust and induction noise and most of all, driving with the roof down. An added minor benefit of having blue xenon lights is that traffic seems to get out of one’s way much faster.
A “foreign” Swedish driver who was caught speeding at 290 kph in the nearby country of Switzerland could be given a world-record speeding fine of SFr 1,080 million, equivalent to US$ 1 million.
The all-new 2010 Jaguar XJ full-size luxury sedan is now quietly available in UAE, Saudi Arabian, Qatari and other GCC showrooms. The XJ will come here with three engine choices and only in long-wheelbase form.
For better or worse, the new 2011 Renault Fluence is now officially available for sale in the GCC, having been advertised in UAE newspapers for weeks now.
The U.S. NHTSA safety agency has a recall for the 2002-2010 Mercedes-Benz G-Class for what seems to be a non-issue, although as many as 3,522 G-Wagens are being called in for this in the United States.
Rolls-Royce has a customisation option that lets owners change every inch of their car when it comes to colours and materials, before they take delivery of their personalised car. The Rolls-Royce Bespoke Programme can take six months or more to complete their handiwork, and apparently, a lot of customers in the UAE do not want to wait that long. Abu Dhabi is one of the firm’s best dealerships in terms of sales So pre-customised Rolls-Royce models are shipped in, done up in various tasteful themes, to satisfy customers who want instant gratification.