Category: All About Wheels – Automotive (Cars, Car Clubs, SUV’s, RV’s etc)

Big day for Audi in Bahrain today

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The two R18 cars 🙂

I wish I was in Bahrain today but had to leave Thursday night to spend the weekend with NJD. In the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the two Audi driver line-ups are fighting a thrilling battle for the title. As of the sixth of the season’s eight rounds in Bahrain today, a new strategy will guarantee absolute equality of opportunity. Audi will start to compete with two hybrid vehicles to set the agenda for the future.

Audi entered the 2012 endurance racing season with two different vehicle concepts. The Audi R18 ultra makes full use of the potential of a conventionally powered LMP sports car with a TDI engine whereas the R18 e-tron quattro as the brand’s first hybrid race car rang in a new era. That both concepts have their particular fortes was obvious on several occasions.

While the R18 e-tron quattro made history by achieving the first victory of a hybrid vehicle at the Le Mans 24 Hours and subsequently won the 6-hour race at Silverstone, the R18 ultra managed to score a debut victory at Spa. With the better grid position and fastest race lap by Lucas di Grassi at the fifth round in Brazil, the conventionally powered TDI sports car proved its potential through to the most recent event.

Marcel FĂ€ssler/AndrĂ© Lotterer/BenoĂźt TrĂ©luyer, after scoring two victories this season in the number “1” R18 e-tron quattro, are leading the WEC drivers’ standings. With 78 points yet to be awarded, Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish trail by only 7.5 points. The Danish-Scottish driver duo of car number “2” is returning to hybrid drive in Bahrain after having run twice before in the R18 e-tron quattro, at Spa and Le Mans.

For Audi Sport Team Joest, this involves a challenging task, which thanks to Audi’s uncompromising commitment to the shared components principle is made considerably easier. For the Audi factory drivers and Audi Sport Team Joest, the track in the island state is new territory.

The sixth race of the season is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time and will thus take place mostly during hours of darkness.

Like at all WEC rounds, Audi is offering comprehensive coverage to the spectators at home: http://www.audi-liveracing.com will broadcast the race for six hours on the internet and also offer cockpit camera perspectives and summary reports of the race. The Audi Sport iPhone and Android apps provide WEC coverage on smartphones with live tickers, news, pictures and results. In addition, Audi’s racing fan community is kept up to speed on Facebook and Twitter.

I’m in love again -With Phantom Venus

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How beautiful is this :):):)


 Its awesome to always fall in love…that exhilarating feeling one gets and the best things one can fall in love with are of the non-breathing ilk ….no clutter, no heartbreak, no expectations…man, I could go on.

So when I called Alaa to tell him I am in love again, he naturally sighed with an OMG until I told him it was related to his latest note to us about the Rolls-Royce team’s new surprise, Phantom Venus – a one-of-a-kind motor car inspired by the legend of the Queen of Sheba.

Revered without parallel in Middle Eastern cultures, the story of Balqis, Queen of Sheba has been celebrated in a car that embodies the beauty and grace, intrinsic to the Queen’s legacy. Conceived, designed and crafted by the Bespoke team at the Home of Rolls-Royce in England, Phantom Series II Venus is adorned in ethereal White Pearl exterior, completed by Oak Burr veneer and Forest Fall leather – creating a luxurious interior ambiance without peer.

Hand-painted twin-coachline, finished with gold crown emblem, exclusive to Phantom Venus, elegantly illustrates a story that has been weaved through dynasties and mythology alike.

Geoff from Rolls Royce is naturally delighted tobe able to present a car here that so elegantly celebrates an incredible part of Middle Eastern folklore.

Perfectly complimenting the theme of the motor car, luxury goods house Asprey has created an exquisitely crafted handbag stitched in Seashell, finished in Forest Fall and White Pearl and embellished with the crown emblem. This exclusive piece perfectly encapsulates the story of a woman who ruled as both king and queen with authority and poise.

I’m actually not sure if I love the car more or the bag…. Not too bothered as they both give equal amounts of visual and mental pleasure to this diva!

McLaren Automotive shines as always

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McLaren Lights 🙂

 

I’m going through a McLaren phase. yes….After a tryst last weekend with my gorgeous Maximilian and his ‘Designed by Maximilian’ Audi, I am back to my roots this week as i follow preparations by global super car brands for the Paris Motor Show.

 

 

McLaren has revealed a dramatic light film which provides further insight ahead of global reveal – great news is you can view and embed the full Paris Motor Show video at the official McLaren Automotive YouTube channel – www.YouTube.com/McLarenAutomotiveTV

I would urge you to watch the story continue to unfold as McLaren Automotive unveils the next chapter on Thursday 27 September. A full video, previewing the next chapter for McLaren Automotive, has now been launched ahead of the British sportscar manufacturer’s appearance at the motor show in Paris….enjoy 🙂

 

The World’s most elegant convertible

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Bentley Mulsanne Convertible…delightful!


Its been a while since I checked out a Bentley…i reckon the last time I really went into Bentley’s new developments was at the Dubai Motor Show when NJD and I spent an entire weekend salivating looking at cars and loving the Ferrari lounge guarded by tall fierce looking security personnel who thought NJD was my sister :).

Since its debut in 2009 (long time ago), the Mulsanne saloon still remains a pure example of the Grand Touring Bentley, combining coach-built elegance and hand-crafted luxury with immense power and sportiness – its a mixture of a car that I would love to use when I want a nice evening out but also be seen near a race track just to prove a hoity toity point. (I should stay away from Brits and their expressions like hoity toity)

So… What got me writing on the Mulsanne Convertible Concept is because Bentley’s designers are providing a glimpse into the potential future of the marque’s flagship family. Appealing to automotive connoisseurs seeking the ultimate in contemporary design, prestige and exclusivity, the Mulsanne Convertible Concept will be the world’s most elegant and sophisticated convertible, providing a supremely powerful and refined luxury grand touring experience for four adults….how will they do this?

Perhaps they are banking on the graceful form of the Mulsanne Convertible Concept which is a fusion of sportiness and coach-built elegance with its sculpted lines and muscular haunches conveying a sense of power and movement.

The spacious yet intimate cabin design is inspired by luxurious, high-performance power boats. With its unrivalled combination of chic, contemporary design, sumptuous materials, painstaking attention to detail and supreme refinement, the Mulsanne Convertible Concept reinforces Bentley’s position as the undisputed benchmark in handcrafted automotive luxury….

I can’t help it but every time I hear handcrafted in the context of cars, I have the image of this amazing artist used by Rolls Royce who I met in Abu Dhabi during one of their celebrations… It was fascinating watching the artist carefully working away on a car with me thinking how I can ever achieve that much patience for anything.

I have a sketch of how the Mulsanne Convertible will look like (see above)….. Since Bentley has created an array of glamorous and desirable convertibles in the past, I can just visualise how cool this one will be.

Ferrari Red Power

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The masculine packaging that totally suits the fragrance

There is a new scent in town….this one combines my love for cars and passion for fragrances into one: The Ferrari Red Power perfume.

The complex scent imbues the soul of the Prancing Horse, appealing to confident connoisseurs with timeless taste…. I love the clean masculine edges of the bottle. Must learn to study the male species the way I was studying the bottle a little earlier 😉

Ferrari, the famous purveyor of Italian supercar heritage, has in fact launched Red Power – it is a new masculine fragrance encompassing the Prancing Horse’s affiliation with performance, excellence, and sheer adrenaline. It kind of reminded me of someone who has similar qualities.

The cost (125 ml) was 270 AED which is not much for a Ferrari fragrance…I recall paying more for the last one I got so its good value for money….enjoy!

Compact hatchback gets me nippy

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This green zesty Micra was my ride for a few days in Ramadan

I had fun this Ramadan…in terms of wheels. Normally you will see me checking out some SUV or top of the range sedan, driving down SZR with club music, windows down and smiling ear to ear. Well….i was in the same mode this Ramadan (minus the music) except that for the first time in years, I was doing this in a Nissan. Not just any big bold Nissan but the cute Micra, which is the car of choice of none other than Nancy Ajram, a fellow diva and an awesome musician from Lebanon.

The all-new Nissan Micra is undoubtedly the zippy and smart compact hatchback in tune with today’s urban lifestyle. With stand-out looks, class-leading driving dynamics and an interior design offering both comfort and convenience, the Nissan Micra goes beyond the regular compact hatchback offering… I can vouch for that. Man I love the front passenger seat as it has this cool feature that makes sure my bag stays intact as I rummage through it for my phone or make up at traffic lights.

While driving it, I looked onto fellow drivers and I reckon the Micra will strike a powerful chord with the young and trendy youth of the Middle East….most the younger drivers were looking – not sure whether it was the car itself or the bright green colour. I could find the car easily in Mirdiff City centre car park as well as in Dubai Mall which can sometimes be a task.

I also love how efficient it was – largest-in-class 1.5-liter engine, I did not even use half the tank in 4 days. My Fortuner just guzzles petrol and I can easily finish an entire tank in 2 days. The car had dual airbags and an Intelligent key & Push button ignition + power folding door mirrors. This was particularly good in my garage when I had to park 2 cars in one port allocated to Villa 7.

With Micra, this was easy!‹‹Micra’s visual appeal is further enhanced by the broad range of fashionable colors available – ten in total including three character colors: Spring Green, Night Veil Purple and Sunlight Orange. I drove the Spring green 🙂

Inside Micra was a unique ‘twin bubble’ shaped cockpit that gives a secure feeling for both driver and passengers with convenient stowage compartments and generous headroom. The arched lines and warm curved surfaces on either side of the instrumental panel create a distinctive bubble-shaped interior space that enhances driving pleasure.

There was no shortage of places to safely store my music player and both phones with pockets and cup holders conveniently placed throughout the interior. User-friendly storage spaces include an instrument panel under box and glove box and despite the size, Micra had two front cup holders….one for my FIJI water and one for my Hagen Daz coffee…and the boot had 15 pairs of shoes, gym bag and beach bag space. Should I be driving something smaller from now?

Ten months of double digit growth for Mercedes-Benz

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Yum! The M-Class exudes strength and class

Just heard from the awesome performers at Mercedes Benz – it seems the Olympics was not the only event for record-breaking performances in July. Mercedes-Benz Middle East & Levant have clearly taken the gold in a flurry of best ever sales results. New records include a marathon 10 consecutive months of double digit regional growth, with year to date (YTD) sales up 16% on 2011. Regional distributors in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar also celebrated from the top of the podium with best ever July country sales as well.

I agree that I have not yet tested the bigger cars in the Mercedes Benz line up but the new records are testament to the success of Mercedes-Benz Middle East and Levant’s ‘Year of the SUV and AMG’ 2012 sales strategy, building on the success last year. SUV sales increased 25% over July 2011, led by 50% month on month (MOM) growth from the newly launched M-Class – pairing performance with sophistication….cool aye! I’m told the evergreen G-Class continued to assert its dominance in the segment, with 19% more customers lured by the resilient icon’s rugged charm.

That’s not just it though – The fires of Affalterbach were given a high octane sales boost, with July sales for the precision Mercedes-AMG performance division turbo charged by 178% over the same month last year. Feeding the flames of Affalterbach’s success was an astronomical increase in demand for the bi-turbo AMG version of the fashionable CLS 63 AMG four door coupĂ©… I need to make time to check this one out!

The beast in a business suit (E 63 AMG executive saloon) increased 20% YTD, with five times more people buying the newly launched 0-100km/h in 4.7sec ML 63 AMG. Still refusing to rest on its laurels, the relentless success of the G 55 AMG grew sales 65% MOM, together with its newly launched G 63 AMG and G 65 AMG variants. I can just see the Merc team looking at Frank Bernthaler, Director, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Middle East & Levant for a night out as reward.

Now I wonder if I can get some tips and pointers from the Mercedes Benz team in reaching the right premium audience for our products and exhibitions.

Spinning the Volkswagen Touareg

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Absolutely loved my time with the Touareg…my shoe rack stayed intact all through the week

After my short tryst with the Phaeton 2 weeks ago, I magically landed the new technically innovative Volkswagen Touareg at my disposal for a week to spin around on Dubai streets and found to my delight that it is longer, lighter, sleeker, safer, and roomier than its predecessor.

The completely redeveloped flagship petrol engine of this Volkswagen sport utility vehicle offers comfortable dimensions of a luxury sedan and the dynamic attributes of a sports car….diva likes 🙂

I also loved the sexy bi-xenon headlights ( This camera-based continuous main beam headlight actually “sees” oncoming traffic and automatically adjusts the main beam to eliminate unwanted glare….how cool is that?)

Also awesome was the Dynamic Light Assist, and the standard 8-speed automatic transmission, not forgetting the multi camera operated Area View safety system, Lane and Side Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) plus Front Assist, automatic tailgate, and proactive occupant protection….hey, I am a woman – I get distracted so these features really help!

To the uninitiated, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) autonomously controls the safe distance to traffic ahead of the vehicle – a cruise control that not only accelerates but also brakes to a stop in an emergency. The space in front of the vehicle is monitored by two radar sensors. I absolutely loved this feature , especially on Al Khail road where you come across at least one erratic driver per journey.

The Front Assist helps to avoid collision accidents. It initiates appropriate protective measures well in advance of a critical situation. It builds up sufficient pressure in the brake system and preconditions the hydraulic brake assist. In case of acute danger, the driver is then made aware that action needs to be taken to defuse the situation by visual and acoustic warnings and a brief pulse of the brake pedal…i didn’t try this but am told its super effective.

If the driver brakes expected at this moment, the Touareg automatically generates as much brake pressure as is necessary to avoid a collision. Under optimal constraints (activation time, driving situation, road grip) it is possible to avoid a front-end collision. If the driver decides to avoid the obstacle by steering, the vehicle’s dynamics are improved by stiffer damper tuning (on vehicles with air suspension).

The entertainment system was awesome too…I cruised diva like on a Friday morning down SZR and it was a pleasure.  What was more awesome was that the car accommodated my shoe rack with 45 pairs of shoes for the week plus my gym bag and my beach bag as well as my stash of magazines….i didn’t miss my Fortuner once throughout the week!

I also like the elegant appearance of the Touareg – timeless, sporty and in beautiful form. Diva was content for a week – I’m hard to please when it comes to cars but the Touareg was faultless!

Pleasantly surprised by The New Phaeton

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How cool is this 🙂

The first ever car I owned was a funky Volkswagen Polo which was super nippy and in the end saved my life because of its safety features. Since then, I always wanted to owned a VW but decided to go for another SUV as I felt safer in them purely based on size but the brand i selected was more for my shoe rack space than anything else. So when the awesome girls at VW called me to see if I wanted to test drive the new Phaeton for a few days including the weekend, I couldn’t say no. It was a superb experience, one that I would love to repeat again.

We all know that Volkswagen produces one of the world’s highest quality, exclusive automobiles and the quality, style and travelling comfort of this saloon was certainly above standard. I enjoyed the abundance of new technical features that included a light Assist plus a camera-based, dynamic main beam control system being introduced in a saloon for the first time.

The navigation system in this awesome car can integrate online data in the map display upon request. The optional front camera in the Phaeton “sees” traffic signs; speed limit signs are visualised in the instrument cluster (multifunction display) and the central touch-screen of the centre console.

I loved the interior of the Phaeton – its elegant and comfortable, the styling is linear and timeless but I am so missing the seats with award-winning ergonomics. Then there is the current generation radio/navigation system with 8-inch touch-screen control, form one functional unit with the climate control and multimedia controls.

The luxurious new saloon offers superb exclusivity, and totally matched the standards I am used to in luxury cars. I was so thrilled about the car that I got offered another test drive of the Touareg the following weekend and I cant wait to share how impressed I was with the VW brand. Watch this space!

Irresistible Designs of Walid Atallah

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An evening with Walid Atallah

I reckon we are super lucky to live in a city that has amazing fashion designers and Walid Attalah has to be one the leading ones not just regionally but Internationally. Afterall he is internationally known for his exquisite evening and bridal designs, and for his skillful use of diamonds, precious stones and Swarovski crystals – remember that beautiful wedding dress worth U.S. $ 1.2 million that created waves in the fashion industry (I think that’s when I first really noticed his work).

We are both born in 1973 so I totally admire the fact that Walid has reached so much higher success than I could ever do and love listening to him about his journey to where he is in the fashion scene today as inspiration. Thanks to Ashraf and his impromtu coffee timings, I got to spend an evening early last week with Walid for a tour of his shop and got a sneak peek on what’s coming next and what drives him creatively for his awesome collections.

Walid was born in Beirut in an affectionate family who were inspired by beauty and style. He naturally followed his heart, studied fashion designing and graduated from University of Chicago. I was fortunate to watch him work as he flitted through his base in Dubai looking, touching and contemplating his designs in progress. Walid chose Dubai to launch his fashion-design career using fascinating designs mixing the charm of the East with the West. He was the first designer to add diamonds in his collection – every woman desires his outfits, which makes his final ensemble very irresistible.

Today Walid has made his mark in the to fashion capitals of the world by introducing numerous collections of dozens of memorable fashion pieces at his shows which have been a success throughout the Arab world, Italy and France, where he received the International Design Excellence Award of the Association of French Fashion Designers. He has made two appearances at the Couture Fashion Week in New York two years in a row with a favorable and enthusiastic response from the audience and peers in the fashion industry. He has also done shows in London and Toronto that he is very proud of.

While walking around looking at his gowns, I also discovered that Walid has his own line of luxury jewelry made of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, blue pearls from the sea and Tahiti, and fine watches. Not only that, this talented and versatile designer has also launched a Ready-to-wear line called “W”, which includes jeans and tops for women in fashion and modern today.

It was also interesting to see beautiful shoes as I walked around looking at Walid Atallah’s dresses and he tells us how after the shoes and jewellery, his next venture will be to do a perfume. Naturally his passion for always spending time sketching as a hobby has paid off. Initially he was designing dresses for his sister, including once making a dress for her from a blanket and then did costumes for theatrical productions at school. He knew he had made the right choice when he felt immense joy after seeing the end product of his dress made out of diamonds and emeralds.

Walid who is married with one daughter and two sons is delighted that his daughter is showing an interest in the fashion design industry. He feels more inspired now to continue his expansion plans to other Emirates as well as Qatar, Saudi and Oman. And although Walid feels he has become more moderate with his designs, its only because he wants to concentrate more on the creation of originals which reflect different types of femininity. He is inspired by beauty, by dreams, flowers, nature, gold, birds and other elements of nature and he feels the variety is reflected in his new collections.

My first introduction to Walid and his beautiful wife was at a fashion show that Walid specifically worked on for Mercedes-Benz. Since then, he has done various unique shows, all very commendable with Rolls Royce, which I thoroughly enjoyed in Abu Dhabi and with LG and Philips. To make the optimum use of his time, Walid likes to focus on work during his most productive and creative hours. If this comes at 5am, then he will get up and sketch instead of keeping to the usual working hours…. I am a strong believer in this way of working after talking to so many successful people in the creative industry.

Walid hopes now to continue to expand his business with more branches in UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Libya and is looking at other vibrant markets….I know he will make it happen!