Cadillac recently changed their naming system yet again, and their first sedan to adopt it is the all-new 2017 Cadillac CT6, set to go on sale in the UAE and other GCC countries very soon. We had a chance to drive their new flagship sedan at an event in Abu Dhabi.
When the first generation Audi R8 was launched in 2007, it caused quite a stir with its supercar looks, while combining it with daily drivability and good performance. For Audi, it likely wasn’t easy coming up with a new one. After almost a decade, the German luxury automaker has launched the new-generation R8. Still keeping the somewhat-similar exterior look with more edgier styling, the latest R8 is actually all-new from the ground up. Sadly, the V8 engine is gone, which we rather enjoyed in the previous model. However, the brilliant V10 is still there, which we had a go with on the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
The 40th anniversary Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport is available across showrooms in the UAE, with prices starting from Dhs 145,000.
The 2016 Middle East Car Of the Year (MECOTY) awards ceremony was held last week with the results being announced during the reborn 2016 Abu Dhabi Motor Show and Custom Show Emirates that are running concurrently in Abu Dhabi. The final winners were decided by totalling the scores of a jury panel from 12 different publications around the Middle East, including DriveArabia.com’s tiny contribution. Individual awards were given to cars according to their categories, with the main 2016 Middle East Car Of The Year award going to the Volvo XC90, and the winner by public voting being the Audi Q7.
Abu Dhabi Traffic Police recently announced a new design for their licence plates and it will be available for motorists at the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Licensing service centres from March 1st.
All vehicles from the 2017 model-year entering the UAE will be rated according to their fuel-efficiency levels, according to the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (ESMA). All manufacturers and importers has already been informed about the new rating system.
Here’s some good news for car owners in the UAE. The Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection at the Ministry of Economy has recommended that the warranty of vehicles shouldn’t be affected irrespective of where the vehicle is serviced. That means owners of new cars will soon be able to service their cars at any garage instead of getting ripped off by the dealer, without voiding the warranty.
The 2016 Bentley Continental GT facelift has gone on sale in the UAE. The new model gets design updates and features, along with a power upgrade for the 12-cylinder model.
It’s been a busy month in the UAE as the Abu Dhabi Infiniti dealer opened a new showroom, the F1 in Schools programme had their finals, and the Dubai dealer for Nissan held a public launch for the new Maxima.
The Cadillac CTS-V has been around for about a decade, but GM never quite figured out whether it was a compact or a midsize, and by their own chief engineer Tony Roma’s admission, couldn’t hack it as a rival to either the BMW M3 or the BMW M5, given its compromises to straddle the line. But things are much more focused this time around, with the latest CTS-V growing into a proper midsizer, leaving the compact super-sedan market to the ATS-V, which comes as a coupe too. We drove the company’s little new bruisers at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi this week.