Editorial

January just rushed by and oh my how time does fly! The Detroit Motor Show, the event that highlights the beginning of every automotive calendar year, came and went in a glimpse. American and European manufacturers took to their respective stages and unveiled some exciting prospects. For everyone involved getting their future product right, it is vital for sustaining their competitive position in what is becoming a live or die industry.

January also witnessed the tussling about of Saab’s fate by GM. In the end, a deal was reached and Dutch sports car maker Spyker was the lucky receiver of the world’s quirkiest automaker. In some ways, Spyker and Saab are made for each other, the former is born of propeller-driven airplanes and other from jets, and together they might succeed.

One of the biggest announcements, however, was Peugeot’s. For a while now, the French family mega business has been voicing its aspiration to move forwards and upwards in the international automakers’ rank. Now with its new Brand Plan, Peugeot is aiming high, and it visualized that aspiration with a whole new design language in the SR-1 concept, our cover car for this month, adorning a refined logo that has been brought up to date to match the company’s ambitions.

This issue also brings a wealth of reports and test drives. Find out about our time with the Camaro Lt during our coverage of the Dubai Motor Show. Our new contributor, Noel Ebdon, gets behind the Bentley Continental SS and gives us his view on the fastest Flying B ever. We also take the Toyota FJ Cruiser and all new Honda CR-V out for an extended drive, along with the new Mini Cooper S convertible, and a short but frugal blast in the industry’s most advanced hybrid vehicle, the BMW X6 Active Hybrid.

This month’s special feature is about Abu Dhabi’s Motor World. We take a closer look at ALDAR’s plans to streamline the auto industry in the growing Emirate, and get some insight from the project’s development General Manager, Mr. Monzer Al Rifai.

This month’s Volvo Safety feature takes a deeper look at the reduced risks to pedestrians nowadays thanks to the Swedish brand’s relentless advances in Vehicle/Pedestrian safety. We’re not out of the woods yet, but with these sort of advances, the prospect of zero casualties is not that far off.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this rich issue of ArabWheels. Don’t forget to visit our website for weekly updates, photo gallery and the e-magazine of previous issues on www.arabwheels.net.