2011 Hyundai Sonata Caught Testing in Dubai

2011 Hyundai Sonata Caught Testing in Dubai

The crew over at the Arabic website Assayyarat dropped these photos of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata in our mail this morning. The prototype model that was captured in Dubai had its front- and rear-end covered in plastic wrapping but we do get a general idea of what the mid-size sedan will look like when it hits showrooms in early 2010. And judging by the raked roofline and the 'stubby' boot design (first-gen Audi A6 ring a bell?), Hyundai is going for a more than welcome 'four-door' coupe look.

The photographer also managed to snap a few pictures of the Sonata's interior that is completely new featuring a swoopy dashboard design with very Volvo-like controls on the center stack and a pair of deeply set gauges which seem to be the industry standard these days.

The Korean automaker's Honda Accord and Toyota Camry fighter is expected to be powered by four-cylinder and V6 gasoline engines while Europeans will also be offered the choice of four-banger turbo diesels including a new 2.0-liter four-pot with 185 horsepower.

Photo Courtesy: Assayyarat

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Nissan to Begin Production of X-Trail and Teana Sedan in Russia

Nissan to Begin Production of X-Trail and Teana Sedan in Russia

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Nissan president Carlos Ghosn took part in the opening ceremony of the Japanese automaker's first plant in Russia on Tuesday. Located at St. Petersburg, Nissan's new US$200 million assembly plant has a production capacity of 50,000 vehicles a year. The facility, which is scheduled to employ 750 workers at start of production with one shift, will build the Teana mid-size sedan and the X-TRAIL compact off-roader.

"This is Nissan's breakthrough in Russia," said Ghosn. "The opening of our plant in Saint Petersburg in the current conditions underlines our confidence in the high potential of the Russian economy. With the start of production at our new plant Nissan become an integral part of the local community."

Even though the financial crisis has taken its toll on the Russian car market as sales plunged more than 40% in the first four months of the year compared to 2008 when Russia briefly overtook Germany as Europe's largest car market, many analyst believe that Russia will be a key growth market for automakers when a recovery starts.

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For Sale: Unique Bugatti Veyron Vincero by Mansory

For Sale: Unique Bugatti Veyron Vincero by Mansory

With so much money going around in Dubai, even a Bugatti Veyron seems passé these days. Having said that, it's not at all surprising that you can find cars in Dubai that you've never heard about like this Mansory-prepped Veyron called Bugatti Vincero, which is up for sale by Prestige Cars. There's no official information on the customized Veyron other than that, according to Prestige Cars, only three examples have been built. Bugatti Elijah is also 1 of the best and amazing car. Bugatti Chiron beat all the concepts but a remarkable choice for beauty.

From the pictures we see that the Veyron-based Vincero features an awesome paint job complemented by a nice set of black alloy wheels and plenty of carbon fiber parts. The interior has also been overhauled - though in a less tasty way. Prestige Cars has not said how much it's asking for the Vincero but we gather that our readers Christmas presents combined wouldn't even do the job.

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