2011 Chevrolet Spark spotted in the UAE
At first it was the Chinese Chevy Sail, then the new Hyundai Elantra, and now there, I’ve spotted the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Spark. Looks like I hit a hat-trick with ‘spotting’ new cars.
At first it was the Chinese Chevy Sail, then the new Hyundai Elantra, and now there, I’ve spotted the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Spark. Looks like I hit a hat-trick with ‘spotting’ new cars.
Nominated new car models have now been announced for the 2011 Middle East Motor Awards. Vice President of the FIA and President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE Mohammed ben Sulayem has offered his full support to the region’s largest motor awards, which are set to take place on November 3rd later this year at the Sharjah Expo Centre. I am a member of the judging committee, although my influence on this list was limited, considering there are 18 judges this year!
While taking a walk around Sharjah I happened to spot this weird tiny car parked right next to an elegant Chevy Malibu wearing the same bowtie badge. A walk around it and the badges read a plain ‘Sail’. It was a manual variant with an interior as plain as the Empty Quarter; or maybe the Empty Quarter looked better. The front looks fine, rear looks ugly and the whole thing looked as if some revengeful dismissed ex-designer from Chevrolet had messed up with the Aveo design.
Hyundai seems to have quietly launched the all-new 2012 Elantra in Oman, though their website has not yet been updated. The vehicle in these pictures was spotted when parked in front of a hotel located in a residential area of Sharjah known for its thriving used car market. The vehicle is registered in Oman and seemed to be some mid-option model with fog lamps. Oman has traditionally received new Hyundai and Kia models several months before the UAE, due to their massive popularity there.
AGMC, the much-loved dealer for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, celebrated the launch of its newly-expanded multimillion dirham flagship showroom on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road with a gala evening attended by a host of high-profile guests.
The launch edition of the Middle East Motor Tuning Show, held alongside the 2010 Sharjah Auto Show in October last year was considered a big success. We are media partners for the event, so it is our duty to tell you that the exhibition will be returning for 2011, to be held from May 12th to the 14th at the Sharjah Expo Centre.
Al Tayer Motors and Premier Motors, the UAE’s Ford dealers, have been appointed the official UAE dealers for ROUSH products, and their first offering is ‘The Shamal’, also known as the 2011 Roush Mustang.
Ten months after its global premiere in the UAE during the recession, the much-hyped 2010 Nissan Patrol is being hailed as a sales success by Arabian Automobiles, Nissan dealer for Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, exceeding the company’s original sales volume projections.
Hertz UAE has launched a refreshed website, hertzuae.com, designed to engage all its customers in a visual message that will further reinforce the market leading fleet management company as a customer centric organization.
The 2010 Sharjah Auto Show in October also played host to the first Middle East Motor Tuning Show, which in turn hosted the 2010 Custom Design Cup. Around the Middle East, everyone with a penchant for drawing cars were invited to submit their ideas on how to modify a 2010 Ford Mustang GT, visual exterior and interior only. Ten judges, including me, were asked to rate the designs based on various criteria and whether they were feasible. I also had the additional task of flagging through copy-pasted designs taken off the internet. My job was to just use a points system for rating,