News

The Chairman of Ferrari, Luca Di Montezemolo, took a tour of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi to see the progress ahead of the theme park’s public opening on 28 October 2010.

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While some say that car sales are picking up around the world, the recession is busy taking names and beating up stragglers in the automotive marketplace. Manufacturers are keen on cutting models that are underperforming in terms of sales, either because demand has subsided or because they were niche models in the first place. Here is a list of eight good cars that have either been confirmed for cancellation soon or have rumours circling in the media about their demise.

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Just launched in the UAE, the Korean-built Renault Fluence is a new-for-2011 model that competes in the compact segment in terms of price, features, performance and general demeanour. It is a rather underwhelming car, as most cars are in this segment, but it has one ace up its sleeve. A longer-than-average wheelbase means it is more spacious than many others in the compact class.

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We figured we were done with how the 2011 Hyundai Accent will look, when the Chinese-market Hyundai Verna was launched this April at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show. However, it seems Hyundai is introducing multiple variants of that car in different markets. The Hyundai “RB Concept” was just launched at the 2010 Moscow Auto Show, looking very showroom-ready, and destined for local production and sale in Russia. It is possible that this is the car that will reach the GCC as the Hyundai Accent.

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The Toyota Corolla, quite possibly the most popular car in the world, is being recalled in the U.S. over engine stalling issues. So far, the recall is only for 2005 to 2008 models built in the United States.

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The European-spec Lexus IS has been facelifted, but with no real mechanical changes. However, the changes are so minor that we’re hard-pressed to figure out what they are.

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At least some local reports suggest that about 70% of all cars in the UAE are Toyota-branded models. As far back as 10 years ago, we read stories that the Toyota Corolla was the top-selling car in this country, and it still might be. So what can word-of-mouth do for a car? Apparently, 90% of all cars in the impoverished state of Afghanistan are Toyota Corolla models, all imported and many as old as 20 years.

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The Chevrolet Suburban is, or was, very popular in the United States and continues to be popular in GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia, where the ability to carry your ten children over rugged terrain is a daily necessity. Surprisingly, the Chevrolet Suburban has been in existence for 75 long years, and GM estimates that up to 2.4 million have been built. General Motors decided to celebrate by bringing together all the iterations of the Suburban over the years for an American media jaunt, while conveniently ignoring the rebadged GMC version. Models from 1936, 1946, 1951, 1966, 1972, 1990,

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There is a lot of hype over the investigation into 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee models, like the one we own, over it catching fire, but only when hit from the rear due its rear-mounted fuel tank. Only 44 cases have been reported among the 2.3 million sold, and the “fix” is as simple as installing the optional metal skidplate that already comes in offroad models like ours. In contrast, the Ferrari 458 Italia has been on sale for maybe four months now, and maybe 200 are estimated to be on the streets so far. And 10 have already gone up in flames,

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Renault has launched the new Latitude midsize sedan model in its continuing bid to become more mainstream rather than quirky. The Latitude’s world debut was at the 2010 Moscow Auto Show, and will be built in Russia for their local market, but the car is already on sale in Korea as the Samsung SM5, and it is this Korean one that will probably make it to the GCC eventually as a replacement for the Renault Safrane.

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