Volvo XC 60

Volvo has a reputation to live upto. Of being one of the safest cars...

The much awaited Volvo XC 60 is tipped to be ' not only the safest Volvo ever, but also it's also the most stunning' said Volvo Cars president and CEO Fredrik Arp.

A variety of intelligent safety systems are another important part of the XC60 model's special character. The big news is City Safety - a unique feature that can help the driver avoid or reduce the effects of the type of low-speed impacts that are common in city traffic and traffic tailbacks. If the car is about to drive into the vehicle in front and the driver does not react, the car brakes itself.

The XC60 project has its sights set on a target group that imposes high demands on design, brand integrity and high-tech content in its choice of lifestyle products.
'One might say that this could be the C30 owner's next car. It's as sporty and exciting, but way more capable. With the XC60, we're widening our model range to attract even more customers

with an active urban lifestyle,' added Arp.

Infinity EX35

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list has added the Infiniti EX35 to its “top safety pick” list, because of “superior overall crash protection” based on front, side and rear crash tests.

Standard safety features include the Infiniti Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual stage supplemental front air bags, driver and front passenger side-impact supplemental air bags, and roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental air bags for front and rear seat outboard occupant head protection

New Phantom Sapphire from Rolls Royce

SAPPHIRE is the new edition of Phantom from Rolls Royce.
It features:

• Hand-made inlays to the Walnut Burr Veneer
• Bespoke Milori Sapphire paint finish
• Hand engraved crystal glassware.
• The interior can be specified with either Seashell and Navy Blue accents or Navy Blue with Seashell accents.
• As a centerpiece to the dashboard, the standard clock face has been augmented with blue enamel detailing and a single sapphire at the 12 o’clock position.

ME auto fraternity will eagerly wait for release of this beauty on their roads...

Every Rolls-Royce is hand-made to an exceptional standard. They recorded 1,010 cars in 2007 worldwide, an increase of 25 per cent over 2006.

Nissan - rough road ahead?

Japan's Nissan Motor has reported a 16 per cent rise in quarterly profit, thanks to Rogue and Qashqai SUVs ( what names !) However, the company warned a weak dollar and US economic woes meant a rougher road lay ahead.

But for an accounting change, third-quarter operating profit fell 7.2 per cent but Japan's number three carmaker - 44 per cent owned by Renault - stuck to its forecast for annual operating profit to rise 3 per cent.

Nissan is enjoying powerful growth in emerging markets such as China, Russia and the Middle East, as well as a recovery in the US.

Global vehicle sales climbed 13 per cent in the quarter, with all regions posting a rise except Japan, where the car industry faces a contracting market as the population ages.

GM in ME 2007

GM brands – Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, HUMMER and Saab -

Qatar: sales up to 7,424 units ( 42 % increase)
Oman: 3,221 (39%)
The UAE, GM’s second biggest market in the region: 18,862 (up 20%)
Bahrain: 2,478 (10%)

Total sales 128,154 in 2007 ( up 1 %)

Saudi Arabia remaining the biggest market, accounting for almost 60 per cent of the company’s regional sales. Sales for the five brands in the Kingdom were 79,168.

GM sales in Kuwait totalled 17,001 units.

Chevrolet continues to be GM’s strongest brand in terms of volume and the GCC saw its sales rise by two per cent to 88,755 units in 2007, buoyed notably by the popularity of the Tahoe and Suburban full-size SUVs.

The Premium brands - Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab - performed well with a combined rise in sales of 10 per cent to over 6,000 units. With sales of just over 33,500, GMC also remains popular with GCC car buyers.

The full-size SUVs, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, were the company’s best-sellers in the GCC, with a 29 per cent rise in the course of the year to a total of 36,210 units. Industry sources indicated that this performance gave Chevrolet and GMC a clear lead in the segment in 2007.

The Chevrolet Caprice took the title of GM’s second best seller in the GCC, with sales of around 16,500 units, followed by the Chevrolet Aveo, which saw sales rise by eight per cent to 14,713. Other strong performers included the Cadillac Escalade (up 63 per cent to 1,799), the HUMMER H2 (up 12 per cent to 463) and the new GMC Acadia with sales of 2,770.

Women may drive in KSA

this report appears in the press quite regularly these days, thus perhaps picking up the tempo. Women in KSA may get to drive cars sooner than expected if the press reports are to be believed, though speculative. The ban in place for over 75 years since 1932 when Kingdom was founded, may be lifted. A new market for the car companies and related industries...

Carlos Ghosn was not successful in forging a deal with GM. But, here is an alternative !

Nissan and Chrysler have agreed to have Japan's number one carmaker supply cars to Chrysler for sale in South America from next year, the companies said.

The car model, based on the Nissan Versa sedan, will be supplied under OEM agreement.
That means Nissan Motor Company will supply the cars, which are also sold as Nissan models, to Chrysler so the US carmaker can sell them under its own brand.They can help cut costs and strengthen product offerings immediately.