IN THE CAR WORLD
IN THE CAR WORLD
» The Italian car maker Fiat expresses an interest in buying up Opel from troubled General Motors as the US giant posts a $6billion loss for Q1 ‘09 » VW and Porsche announce a merger, only for it to be called off a few weeks later » GM and Chrysler announce plans to close thousands of US dealers
» GM files for bankruptcy protection under a Chapter 11 ruling » Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder, takes over at Toyota » Qatar invests in Porsche » Fiat and Chrysler begin their alliance » Koenigsegg annouces it is to buy Saab from GM » Jaguar Land Rover opens its first dealer in Mumbai
In the outside world » Pixar’s Up becomes the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival
In the outside world » The legendary pop singer, Michael Jackson, dies
MAY »
JUNE »
IN CAR MIDDLE EAST
IN CAR MIDDLE EAST
The Dodge Challenger finally hits the region and we become big fans of its retro-cool charms. First details of the Mercedes SLS are released and Land Rover improves the Range Rover Sport. We report from the Shanghai Motor Show and the Renault F1 Roadshow which sees Mohammed Ben Sulayem crash at the Dubai Autodrome.
Sensational Lamborghini LP670-4 SV graces our cover and is tested for the first time. We take a look at the beautiful ZR1-based Bertone Mantide, attend the MINI United party in Silversone and speak with boss of Porsche Middle East about the younger buyers the brand attracts. First pictures of the McLaren ‘P11’ are leaked out.
We ride along with the Porsche Panamera as it gets a final shakedown in South Africa and speak to Dr Paefgen, CEO of Bentley, about SUVs.
In our biggest-ever group test, we pitch eight compact SUVs against each other on and off road and compare some very big SUVS.
Cars to be tested this month included the new Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder, Bentley Continental GTC Speed, and the sharp Mercedes E-class.
This month, we drove the Tata Nano, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Mercedes E-Class coupe and the Maserati Granturismo S Automatica.
16 ] THE CAR 100