Tag: launches

Bentley launches two Middle East-only editions of Flying Spur

Filed under: Sedan, Bentley, Middle East, Luxury

Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed Arabia

Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed Arabia – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’re a Bentley dealer in the Middle East, you’ve got it easy. With mounds of disposable income littering that part of the world, it’s a prime target for high-end luxury brands. To that end, Bentley has announced a special run of 50 Continental Flying Spur sedans that will only be available in the Middle East. Called the Flying Spur Arabia and Flying Spur Speed Arabia, these two special editions feature special Arabia badges on their fenders, door sills and ash-tray lid. The non-Speed Flying Spur also gets a new unique 14-spoke wheel design while the higher performance Speed model (above) gets 20-inch, ten-spoke wheels.

Bentley says the Middle East now accounts for one-tenth of its worldwide sales and supports the region with nine dealers. No doubt we can expect more of these special editions to come from Bentley and other brands both in the Middle East and China, as both markets become increasingly important to ultra high-end automakers.

Gallery: Bentley Continental Flying Spur Arabia

[Source: Bentley]

Continue reading Bentley launches two Middle East-only editions of Flying Spur

Bentley launches two Middle East-only editions of Flying Spur originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car and Driver launches ‘Save the Manuals!’ campaign [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Humor

Car and Driver wants to Save the Manuals – Click above to watch the video after the break

The minds at Car and Driver have anointed themselves the champions of the manual transmission. In order to defend the three-pedal way of life from the onslaught of apathetic automatics out there, the magazine has initiated a new awareness campaign under the “Save the Manuals” banner. The plan is more of an awareness movement than anything else, complete with PSA videos, stickers and buttons. Watch out slushboxes, this is a no-holds barred assault.

We’ve heard all of the arguments about why the age of the manual transmission is coming to a close – more efficient automatics, the rise of the double-clutch cog box, etc – but we still love rowing our own gears. Car and Driver has brought up an interesting point by saying that manuals can actually help cut down on distracted driving. How? It’s bound to be quite a bit more difficult to text while driving something with a third pedal.

Whether that’s true or not, we’ll let you decide, but if you want to get in on the campaign to save the manual transmissions from the icy claw of extinction, you can hop over to Car and Driver to see what you can do. You may just get your very own sticker to announce your pride. Hit the jump to watch the PSA. Hat tip to Rokas!

[Source: Car and Driver]

Continue reading Car and Driver launches ‘Save the Manuals!’ campaign [w/video]

Car and Driver launches ‘Save the Manuals!’ campaign [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM launches new low-cost brand in China and it’s a ‘treasured horse’

Filed under: Budget, China, GM

While the German automakers – and Buick – mop up outrageous demand for their wares in China’s major metropolitan and coastal cities, General Motors wants to be the nameplate of choice in the secondary cities and the interior. And now in conjunction with its joint-venture partners SAIC and Wuling, it has launched another nameplate: Baojun. Meaning “treasured horse,” Baojun is the low-cost brand that will sell passenger cars built in China for priced in the area of $7,000.

The Baojun’s sales network will be built after the car is launched, but GM hasn’t let slip when that will be. The aims are lofty for the small runabout tasked with opening up another market segment, with the general manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling declaring, “We aim to surpass customer expectations by creating a brand that combines world-class quality with low ownership costs.” Follow the jump for the press release on the venture.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM launches new low-cost brand in China and it’s a ‘treasured horse’

GM launches new low-cost brand in China and it’s a ‘treasured horse’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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