Kia Optima Tour De Tested Touareg Gen 2 Is Clever and Green
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No 111 November 2010 Oman’s Best Automotive Resource OMR 0.500 AED 5.00 QR 5.00 2011 KIA OPTIMA TOUR DE TESTED TOUAREG GEN 2 IS CLEVER AND GREEN 2010 BMW GT 2010 CADILLAC CTS COUPE 2010 MITSUBISHI ASX PARIS & SHARJAH MOTOR SHOW 1ST HARLEY-DAVIDSON FREEDOM TOUR IN JORDAN F1: THRILLS AND SPILLS IN SINGAPORE, JAPAN & KOREA EXCLUSIVE! Visit us online at www.automanweb.com automanAds_A4size.pdf 1 11/2/10 10:13 AM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mohammad Al Taie More motorshows and models The past couple of years have seen a churn in both the automotive sphere and in neighbouring Dubai. Home to the regional offices of many car brands, the emirate has been through a rough patch that seems to mirror the travails the brands are facing on a global AL ROYA PRESS & PUBLISHING scale. We have seen enough professionals move sideways into consultancy or look for PO Box: 343, Postal Code 118 Al Harthy Complex greener pastures elsewhere, reminding one of the fact that ordinary people bear the brunt Sultanate of Oman of errors of systems and governance. While similar uncertainty rules across most of the developed economies it is heartening Email: [email protected] Website: www.automanweb.com to see the outcome of Paris motorshow. New models were there in force after the lean quarters ahead of it and what’s more interesting is that car makers seem to have a better Editorial office: understanding of the product chain that will lead them into 2012. Of course all that is Tel: +968 24479888 Extn 300, Fax: +968 24479889 Circulation office: governed by the caveat that there is no slide back into recession in key economies. Tel: +968 2456 2360, Fax: +968 2456 2194 Closer to home, our executive editor Chandan Mallik was part of the jury that selected the winners of the Middle East Motoring Awards, presented as a part of the Sharjah motorshow. PUBLISHER Hatim Al Taie [email protected] Hopefully the long-term benefits of initiatives like this will help the show, which hasn’t quite shaken the image of being a dealer-represented marginal event, much like our own home- EDITOR & GM spun show in Muscat. Raj Warrior [email protected] The next big event we can look forward to is December’s Abu Dhabi motorshow. This EXECUTIVE EDITOR biennial event plays leapfrog with the Dubai event on alternating years. There is a growing Chandan B Mallik [email protected] level of awareness and the presence of the regional arms of manufacturers raises the CO-ORDINATOR standard of the event. What we are hoping to see is a good amount of regional premieres Pratibha N Kadam [email protected] and hopefully some exotics that are chasing the fabled money of the region. The new model year is also well and truly on us and we will see more launches happening, DESIGN Sawsan Al Muharbi [email protected] both inside and away from the motorshows. Hopefully the money market will be conducive to a growth in sales. Credit is increasingly becoming central to the purchase decision. HEAD OF MARKETING Another factor that influences sales is the degree of comfort with which people perceive Maged Aziz [email protected] their immediate futures. This month has already seen the launch of the KIA Optima, VW MARKETING Touareg, Mitsubishi ASX and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, all of which we have featured in Supreme Philips [email protected] either this or previous issues. CIRCULATION As this Eid comes upon us, to be followed by the landmark celebrations around the 40th [email protected] National Day, we wish all our readers a great time and the wherewithal to buy one of the new cars on offer. FINANCE & ADMIN Abraham Daniel [email protected] PRINTER Ruwi Modern Printers LLC Tel: +968 2479 4167, 2479 8157 Fax: +968 2470 0545 © 2010 All editorial content of Automan in the magazine and its website is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the manage- ment of AL ROYA PRESS & PUBLISHING Automan accepts unsolicited exclusive editorial material, but reserves the right to publish any such material. Once published, the copyright for any such material will vest with AL ROYA PRESS & PUBLISH- ING k in this issue 107 10 {spotlight} NEWS {First Drive} {First Drive} From across the 4 WALKING IN region and around TANDEM WITH the world GIANTS This year’s last European motor show in Paris had a clear cut BRANDWATCH message: technology and innovation are the buzzwords for future mobility and corporate success. Automan finds out more at the show Author: Chandan B Mallik ast month’s Paris Motor Show was an unusual mix of enthusiasm However, automotive aficionados will not forget how Jaguar turned the and charisma from car manufacturers. The level of enthusiasm Paris venue into a ‘best-of-British’ celebration with its awesome C-X75 Porsche’s future 18 Lamongst domestic players, European and Asian rivals was seen as supercar concept along with Lotus, which also left no one in doubt that Perhaps more than any other model in its line-up, KIA’s Optima the beginning of the much needed industry revival after several years it was a force to be reckoned with, stunning the automotive world with of downturn as a result of the global economic crisis. Not that the crisis no fewer than six new models that it hopes will revolutionise the brand brings to the fore the great leaps that the brand has taken in is entirely over, the industry is moving forward with cautious optimism once again. and most are of the opinion that the swing is the beginning of the ‘feel The Jaguar concept was unlike any other at the show, it was least catching up with and beating established competitors. The third good’ factor. Besides the stunning displays, introduction of new cars, expected and its purpose was loud and clear. Ian Callum has cre- visitors to the show were also treated to possible technology-oriented ated an exotic supercar outside of the usual box thinking with the idea generation of the Optima packs in quite a few surprises solutions or applications designed specifically to meet the forthcoming that it could theoretically be produced in the near future. Besides the plans new regulations, emissions norms and performance factors. six teasers from Lamborghini prior to the show which ended up as a Author: Raj Warrior Some of the technology led solutions – hybrids or extended range ve- jaw-dropping new superlightweight carbon-fibre-clad super-sportscar hicles or simply all-electric plug-in models were equally vying for atten- concept, dubbed the Sesto Elemento, most automakers had something tion as super or sports cars. Interestingly, the influence of alternative to say. However, there were some disappointments too. As they always technology solutions appearing in hyper performance cars was quite say, expect the unexpected and this show had quite a few of them. evident and so was some of the automotive brands entering into new Read on… PARIS SHOWand uncharted segments. 21 FIRST DRIVE 48 21 48 49 SPOTLIGHT Paris Mondial 21 {Special feature} {Special feature} {First drive} {First drive} he global recession over the past couple loop tour of the Jordan covering most of the of years didn’t just hit the automotive important historical and touristic destinations Tsector. The two wheeler industry too, such as Petra, Wadi Rum and swanky port was affected and the impact of recession can city of Aqaba. The sojourn began at the new be measured by the fact that many of the dealership located on the outskirts of capital On a road less leading Japanese brands didn’t make or of- Amman and nine different productions models NEWS ANALYSIS fer significant or new 2010 models, opting were made available for testing. instead focusing on ways to get rid of unsold My ride began with arguably the most rec- bikes in large markets such as US and Europe. ognized H-D bike in the world -- the Fat Boy Even sales of Harley-Davidson have been hurt Lo. The road and drive towards Petra took us globally, but according to Mi- through the mountain passes chael Carney, marketing man- with stunning ager Harley- Davidson Middle views of the Dead East & Africa, sales in the re- Sea. Dressed in Top headlines that 22 gion were pretty good and the satin chrome and company managed to achieve pea, the model its retail sales targets. featured a re- Harley-Davidson has used shaped seat to my the downturn period as an liking and handle- opportunity to rework its bar that placed me Travelled business strategies and fo- ‘in’ the motorcycle. cus business in areas in The Fat Boy Lo also grabbed our attention which it has identified as the boasts of having the strategic growth markets lowest seat height of which also includes Middle any H-D model in the he solid foundation of Cadillac’s rear- CTS Coupe is almost identical to the concept C-pillar, and a hidden B-pillar which make the East. As per the business line-up which is su- wheel-drive platform CTS family started shown. It sits in an elite segment and com- car look shorter than it really is [it’s actually plan, the iconic brand will perb for short-legged Teffectively with the arrival of the second petes with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, longer than the E-Class coupe, one of its key increase its dealer network brethren like me. The generation four-door saloon in 2003.