Ford Taurus named Saudi Auto Car of the Year

Ford’s most innovative sedan, the all new Taurus, has been voted Saudi Auto’s ‘Car of the Year’ 2010.

Leading Arabic language automotive magazine Saudi Auto gives its ‘Car of the Year’ award to the most outstanding new car sold in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf markets, as voted by an independent jury of professional automotive journalists.

“This is quite a coup for Ford Taurus and we thank Saudi Auto and the members of its jury for recognizing our flagship sedan as its 2010 Car of the Year. This is the first major Award for the Taurus in the Middle East, but based on the car’s ability to turn heads and win fans, we are sure it won’t be the last,” said Larry Prein, Ford Middle East’s Managing director. Read more

P-Trac – The new online meeting point for Porsche fans

Porsche fans across the Middle East now have a place to indulge their passion with the launch of www.P-Trac.me, a new online car community. To mark this launch, enthusiasts can enter a competition to win a ride in a Porsche racing car alongside one of the region’s leading drivers.

Standing for “Porsche – Tuning, Racing and Customs”, P-Trac.me has been launched by ARM, a Porsche specialist based in Dubai, that also provides support to a number of local racing teams. It aims to bring lovers of the marque together for discussion, debate and discourse.

“There are a lot of us around,” said Porsche expert and ARM owner, Alex Renner. “We live, breathe and eat Porsche. The aim for P-Trac.me is to bring together each and every Porsche fan in the Middle East – no matter if he or she is especially interested in racing, tuning or customising.” Read more

McLaren Automotive announces its first Middle East dealers

• Al Ghassan Motors and Al Habtoor Motors revealed as official McLaren Automotive dealers in KSA and UAE
• Saad & Trad to host Lebanon service centre
• McLaren’s first car, the MP4-12C, expected to hit the regional market in early summer 2011

McLaren Automotive, the world’s newest sports car company, has confirmed the names of the dealers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that will join a global network of 35 partners to represent the company and market its first car, the McLaren MP4-12C. Additionally, the company has now announced the name of its local service partner in Lebanon.

Both Al Ghassan Motors in Saudi Arabia and Al Habtoor Motors in the UAE have many years of experience and a proven record of offering great customer service in their respective countries. This was highly attractive for McLaren Automotive, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE being the company’s two key Middle Eastern markets. Read more

McLaren MP4-12C makes public debut

• Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton drive the MP4-12C in the Supercar Run at Goodwood Festival of Speed
• McLaren Automotive’s MP4-12C, is expected to penetrate the regional market in early summer 2011

McLaren Automotive’s new sports car, the MP4-12C was given its public world debut at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed, held last week, with current Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton driving a McLaren Orange Validation Prototype 12C up the famous Goodwood Hill.

The MP4-12C was the first car to be driven up Goodwood Hill on Friday 02 July, effectively opening the show, with McLaren Automotive Managing Director, Antony Sheriff at the wheel. The 12C was subsequently granted pole position in every Supercar Run over the course of the weekend, a fitting gesture to two Formula 1 World Champions that are accustomed to leading from the front. Read more

Emirates Motor Company launches Integrated Service Campaign for Mercedes-Benz customers

• EMC introduces five-year service and maintenance package
• CSI scores for EMC Sales Team in first five months of 2010 at 94%
• EMC will soon launch a benefits card to customers

Further confirming its leading practices in customer service, the flagship company of Al Fahim Group, Emirates Motor Company (EMC), has launched the Integrated Service Package (ISP) making it the only Mercedes-Benz dealership in the region to introduce a five-year service and maintenance package.

“This new service package is an initiative by EMC which involves us subsidizing the cost of a five-year service package to customers purchasing selective 2010 models in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain only,” stated Mr. Irfan Tansel, General Manager of EMC. “We have been studying our customers’ feedbacks to ensure that every new activity EMC raises is aligned to customers’ suggestions through the Voice of the Customer (VOC) relationship management system we established last year.” Read more

Emirates’ summer flights to Al Medinah al Munawarah take off

Additional services to be added to facilitate strong customer demand

Emirates’ summer service to the Saudi Arabian city of Al Medinah al Munawarah made its first flight over the weekend, touching down at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport.

In step with strong demand an additional two services to Medinah Al Munawarah will be added effective 3rd August 2010, bringing the destination to a four times weekly service. Flights to the city will be active until 24th September 2010 in line with the routes temporary summer schedule. Read more

Ferrari World update

More car manufacturers experiment with electric vehicles

Electric vehicles powered by on-board battery packs are becoming more an more popular not only between users, but also between car manufacturers. These eco-friendly machines produce no pollution, but their use increases demand for electricity generation. Different models are usually  build with expensive batteries that must be replaced, but otherwise incur very low maintenance costs. The latest models are more powerful and feature upgraded interiors.

Electric cars are already in use and can be seen on the streets of many American and European cities. Car photos can be viewed on the Internet.

In search of what it calls a MegaCity vehicle,  BMW launched its own  electric car at the 2010 Detroit auto show, in the U.S. The manufacturer’s concept is built on the 1-series BMW platform  and will serve as the basis for a test fleet of electric vehicles that will further the company’s research.  Currently, BMW is running a test fleet of 600 electric Minis. The model is called MiniE and already was released on the marked. The new Concept ActiveE is the next car BMW intends to test, planning to expand its fleet. With its current technology, the car has a range of about 100 miles, and the battery pack takes 4.5 hours to charge off a 32 amp source, according to BMW. Performance figures are not stunning, with acceleration to 60 mph in about 8.5 seconds.

The BMW’s electric vehicle  is designed to drive very similar to the Tesla Roadster,  which is one of the few highway-capable electric automobiles for sale to the public 2010.

Tata Motors showcases the Tata Starbus Skool and Tata Xenon at the ‘Made in India’ show

Tata Motors has showcased two of its latest innovations at the ‘Made in India Show at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, UAE, which opened here today. The vehicles exhibited are the Tata Starbus Skool, an ideal school transportation solution for students and Tata Xenon, a vehicle with the perfect blend of looks and performance.

Tata Starbus Skool

A combination of safety and comfort, Starbus is the latest offering from the Tata Motors-Marcopolo joint venture. Fully approved by Road Transport Authority (RTA), Starbus Skool is a passenger – friendly, safe and sleek in design with contemporary looks and offers various seating configurations to suit every business need. Read more

New Porsche Cayenne arrives at Porsche Centre Dubai

A long awaited model has finally arrived. Porsche Centre Dubai, Al Nabooda Automobiles LLC, is proud to introduce the second generation Porsche Cayenne. The all-new Cayenne was unveiled at an exclusive launch event held at Madinat Arena on 3 June 2010. The evening was a tremendous success as Al Nabooda guests welcomed the brand’s latest and highly anticipated addition.

As a premiere for the Porsche brand this model is offered as a hybrid version, the Cayenne S Hybrid. A highly sophisticated parallel full hybrid drive ensures fuel consumption of just 8.2 litres/100 kilometres with CO₂ emissions of just 193 g/km. The Cayenne S Hybrid combines the performance of an eight-cylinder with the economy of a six-cylinder running on much less fuel. Read more

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