The Lexus range gets some breadth with the introduction of a new open top in exactly the right segment with the rear-wheel drive IS 300C

Take a successful rear-wheel drive compact luxury car and make it even better. The IS300C is Lexus’ second convertible and its first since the debut of the SC430 in 2002. Featuring a convenient single-switch operation, the new three-piece hard top provides open-air freedom with the top down without sacrificing the quiet and comfort of a coupe. Constructed primarily of lightweight aluminium, the hard top also provides surprising storage space but with low noise and increased security not typically found in soft-top convertibles. In addition, the top completely retracts with no elements remaining in view.

The four-link roof assembly, also made of aluminium for a lightweight design, provides smooth even movement. Engineered to operate in an easy, efficient manner, each component is motor driven with detection switches, allowing the control unit to know their exact position at all times. In addition to the two main roof panels being constructed of light-weight aluminium, the rear window’s reinforced glass construction also lends itself to reduced weight. Weather-strip changes in areas around the doors and windows ensure tight seals.

BMW takes its legendary performance to a new level in the X6, at heart a sports car even though it uses a SUV-inspired platform

What happens when you take an idea and stand it on its head. Well, if you ask BMW then the X6 is one such innovation and if you see the type of customers that are buying up this huge departure from the norm, you will know that by all means the X6 is winning hearts and minds in a market that has money. Is it surprising then that BMW makes so much money?

The world’s first Sports Activity Coupé offers features and abilities not available in a comparable combination in any other car the world over. In its design the new BMW X6 combines the sporting elegance of a large BMW Coupé with the powerful presence of a BMW X model. The unique driving characteristics of the BMW X6, in turn, come from the innovative combination of driving dynamics on the road so typical of BMW and absolute supremacy on all kinds of terrain. So this is a unique coupé and, at the same time, a very special BMW X model.

Or why KIA’s redefinition of the Sorento is the best thing to happen in the entry SUV market

We shouldn’t have been given the task in the first place. It isn’t easy for a hard-core four-wheel drive driver to see the demise of yet another model associated with the genre. When KIA made its global foray into the SUV market, the Sorento stood out as a car that defined a segment as well as served as the stepping stone to KIA becoming recognised as a global brand.

For starters, in a field of vehicles that even at the time had started evolving from a sedan platform to grow upwards as SUVs, the Sorento stood out for its use of a more traditional frame and body arrangement. Then there was the additional joy of knowing that while every other manufacturer was using the easier layout of a front-biased AWD system, the Sorento still stuck to the rear-wheel bias.

The new Sorento digresses from this formula by more than a country mile. It is everything that the older car was not. It uses a front-bias powertrain coupled to an AWD system and no longer espouses the virtues of a ladder frame and body. This story could so easily be a lament for the known as it disappears into the wilderness. But it isn’t. This is a story of how change actually is beneficial. For the fact of the matter is that alongwith the traditional 4WD, the number of buyers of that type of car is shrinking. Perhaps it is as much a reflection on the rapid march of development as in country after country, the wild recedes as civilisation advances and off-roading becomes more a matter of crossing the last mile to your country home rather than charting a course through wilderness.

It is significant that Chevrolet is bringing in the Malibu to appeal to customers who want a car that can beat most Japanese family sedans, feature for feature and certainly in terms of space

Most Japanese brands that have grown in popularity in the Gulf region over the past few years have been masters at producing the quintessential family car that meets all needs. While to many car owners this means buying a Yaris, City or Sunny, there is a significant and well paying chunk of car buyers who are looking for the same values in a higher price and size bracket. These are the buyers for the Camry, Accord and Altima.

One string of thought that runs common through the latter three names is that they have all made their fortunes in being the car of choice for the customer from the United States. It is entirely a different matter that the current troubles of the US car industry and the concurrent financial strife have decimated this segment alongwith others. However one lesson that these models have taught the American car industry is how to offer buyers the best in the core market.

We interview R. Mananathan, Managing Director of Manatec Electronics, an Indian firm specialising in garage equipment. He was in town to initiate business into the region

Welcome to Oman. Could you share with us the reasons that bring you here?

I have come here as a guest of the Al-Hashar  group of companies to initiate a very important business relationship with them. We manufacture garage equipment in India and are a market leader in the field, holding a 40% market-share and we have started exporting our products in the last two years. We plan to boost our exports through a dedicated project targeted at foreign markets and I thought that the Gulf region would be the right place to begin a large scale effort. This is possible because of its proximity to India and its burgeoning economy.

We have found in the Al-Hashar group a partner that has a leading presence in the automotive field and they were willing to branch out into garage equipment. That is very important, since they are large users of garage equipment and also know the market for it. That made the whole process very easy and I am here to firm up the relationship. Today we signed the agreement.