The results of the 2013 Middle East Motor Awards were announced last evening at a ceremony on the Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah, hosted by Muhammed Ali Sajjad of the Expo Centre Sharjah. I was one of the 18 judges, although the cars were score and the points were tallied long ago, so were there just to hear who were the winners in each category, as well as Car Of The Year.
The Ford Taurus is a bit of an oddity in the market. It’s not an obvious choice for most, and given that its direct competition includes the well-regarded Dodge Charger, you’d be forgiven for dismissing the Taurus altogether. However, the Taurus is aimed at a far more niche market than the Charger.
Land Rover has officially announced the 2015 Range Rover LWB, a long-wheelbase model specifically designed for chauffeur-loving markets such as China, and apparently the GCC as well, because the stretched offroader is going to be launched at the 2013 Dubai Motor Show.
The Alfa Romeo 4C recently set a new record at the Nurburgring for under-250 hp cars, with a time of 8 minutes 4 seconds. It just adds to the allure of a car that will soon debut in the GCC.
We knew the new front-wheel-drive 2014 Chevrolet Impala wouldn’t cut it in the Saudi market, where the love of big rear-wheel-drive sedans runs strong, even after the demise of the Ford Crown Victoria. So it came as no surprise when a reader dropped us a note saying the long-running Caprice is back in Saudi Arabian showrooms as a 2014 model, with a few changes.
Replacing the awkward 1-Series Coupe, the BMW 2-Series has been revealed, ahead of its appearance at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in January. Initial variants include the 220i, the 228i and the M235i, alongside a few Europe-specific diesel variants.
This is our very first encounter with the Maserati brand. The closest we’d come before that was a tour of their shared pre-owned showroom. Then there was the time we had the sudden urge to pick up a used Quattroporte, but it wasn’t a compelling-enough car to make us follow through on that urge. And now here we are, trying out the redesigned Quattroporte, and wondering how compelling the new model is.
The refreshed 2014 Toyota Prado has been launched in Saudi Arabia. The best-selling midsize 4×4 continues to be offered with two engine options as well as a variety of trim levels.
McChip-DKR, a German tuning company is showing off their newly tuned Audi RS5. The otherwise adequately powered vehicle now receives a much more powerful setup which enables the car to produce a whooping 600 hp.
BMW’s busy year continues as they introduce to us the BMW 4-Series Convertible. The convertible is expected to make its official debut at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show in November.