Saloon machismo

Saloon machismo

Its Italian makers bill it as “a driving machine in the guise of a luxury saloon''. Never mind the marketing spiel, the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S is another stud in the stable of the Italian luxury car maker.

And this after we thought they outdid themselves with the Gran Turismo S last year. The Quattroporte Sport GT S is powered by a V8 4.7 litre engine and was unveiled at the 2009 NAIAS in Detroit Auto Show this January. Watch out for this one on Shaikh Zayed Road soon.

When a tanker replenishes a petrol pump's stock, the turbulence causes sediments that can clog your fuel filter.

Loveless in Russia

Once a symbol of the Communist era, Lada may now no longer be the tin box it once was as evident in this export-ready hatchback, the Lada C. However, there seems to be little love for Ladas among Russians. Riot police in Vladivostok had to break up an angry street protest against the increased duty on car imports. The rise in duty will add about 50 per cent to the cost of imported cars in a move intended to protect the struggling domestic auto industry. AvtoVaz, Russia's largest auto maker expects the market to shrink by 50 per cent in 2009. Vladimir Putin has injected $5bn to prop up the industry including $3bn of cheap credits for buyers of Russian cars.

Motorsport takes a hit

The global economic downturn has already claimed three victims in motorsport and that figure is likely to go up. Subaru, winner of six world titles, withdrew from this year's World Rally Championship just a day after Suzuki pulled the plug on its WRC campaign. This comes just when Formula One lost Honda after the Japanese carmaker cited bad finances and pulled out of the 2009 season.

Ultra cool

Mazda has introduced its most competitive sedan in the UAE with the Mazda6 Ultra – a 3.7litre, V6 engine variant of the popular Mazda 6 sedan. The sales pitch is that the car offers ‘more' than any in its category. The car is 185mm longer and 45mm wider than the Mazda 6 and has a bigger boot. While the new Mazda 6 has the MZR 2.5, four-cyclinder powerplant, the V6 on the Ultra can produce a rousing 600kW of power at 6000rpm and 365Nm of torque at 4,250rpm, all of which is mated to a six-speed auto transmission.

Fact: The precursor to the first muscle car is said to be the 1949 5.0-litre Oldsmobile Rocket 88, the car produced 135 horse power.