By Shahzad Sheikh

This sensational futuristic concept car has styling inspired by the United Arab Emirate’s dune landscape and Islamic art, and features an electric drivetrain with unique Mecanum wheel technology, allowing it to move in any direction.

The brainchild of 25-year old Emirati Air Traffic Controller at Abu Dhabi Airport, Mohamed Bani Hashim, the Dhabi, as he has named it, is a 21st century environmentally-friendly hypercar concept.

There’s some similarity to the Audi RSQ concept used in the Will Smith movie I, Robot, which also had multi-directional movement thanks to spheres instead of wheels (based on Omni wheel technology according to Hashim).

In the design, there’s also hints of Bugatti and Lamborghini, but there’s an organic animalistic feel to it. There’s something very feline about those eyes/headlights. It’s a great fusion of beauty, agression and exotic extremes and it would be amazing to see something like this actually built.

The Mecanum wheel technology, which hasn’t thus far been attempted on a full-scale car to our knowledge, is a highly complex system that allows a vehicle to crab sideways, move diagonally and even spin on its axis with independent motors powering each wheel.

Combined with torquey power units and race-bred chassis, the Dhabi could be an extraordinarily agile machine – add in hydraulic suspension, and it might even work as an all-terrain vehicle.

For the moment though, it remains a fantasy concept for Hashim, who has been drawing cars since he was in secondary school. It became such an obsession that he looked for lessons to learn the basics of automotive design.

Hashim’s dream is to work as a designer for Mercedes or BMW.

‘Automotive design is a part of industrial design, and industrial design is different from what an industrial engineer does,’ says Hashim. ‘Some people think that a car designer should be an engineer, but car design and engineering are different fields in my opinion, because automotive design degree comes under Art and design, but automotive engineer comes under engineer.’

He’s very serious about his ambitions and says: ‘my dream is to see one of my design come to light and see it on the street. I wont stop trying to achieve that goal.’

A design concept this good, definitely deserves some attention, and it would be fantastic to see at least a full-sized mock-up built in time for the Dubai Motor Show later this year. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for Hashim!

Say hello to the ‘all-new’ 4 Series Coupe. If you think it looks a bit familiar, you would be right; this is the 3 Series in coupe form, following BMW’s new policy of even numbers for coupes, odd numbers for saloons.

If it looks meaner, longer, lower and wider than the older car, that’s because it is. Time makes everything just a little bit fatter, and the new 4-series is an inch longer, a sixth of an inch shorter , 1.7 inches wider, and with a two-inch longer wheelbase. This is not to say that it actually weighs more. With extensive lightweight materials throughout the 4 Series can be up 45kg lighter than the old car.

Like the other cars in BMW’s even range, this car is one mean-looking thing with a furrowed brow for a front face and fat haunches that emphasises the rear-wheel drive nature of these vehicles. As a last remnant of the Bangle era of bones-under-stretched metal design the flanks have a double-swage line shot through the door handles. Newflash to BMW: everyone does it. Even staid old Mercedes does it now. If everyone has ‘swage lines’, nobody stands out.

Three trims will be available at launch. Luxury is meant to be the elegant one of the bunch, Sport is the car you see in this pictures and a further, more aggressive M-Sport version will also be available with wheels that ape the top dog M4, on its way soon. Looking inside, the interior is very much a shrunken down 6-Series interior with the same sweeping centre console and its peculiar lop-sided spar.

Engine choices in the 4 Series follow the saloon, so you can expect a 428i 240bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder which will be blindingly quick. And then for something even more blinding, like blot out the sun blinding – look for the 435i, a 3.0-litre turbo six with 300bhp.

After an extended hiatus we’re back with an all-new Motoring Middle East Webshow in association with Talkabout Media!

In this episode of the webshow we give your our verdict on the new and much improved Jeep Grand Cherokee, the surprising new Audi S8 is driven and the wraps finally come off for the latest version of Toyota’s Corolla.

For more on the Jeep Grand Cherokee click here

For more on the Toyota Corolla click here

Honestly, we’re shocked Aston even invited us to the launch of the new Rapide S at its swanky showroom at Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai. After all, Shahzad did write the world’s least complimentary review of their flagship Vanquish. We thought we were persona non grata  for sure – but nevertheless, a little invitation popped into our inboxes anyway.

As most of you are no doubt aware, the Rapide is Aston’s entry into the rather exclusive four-door supersaloon category, rarefied air enjoyed by the likes of the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte, a class that exists when a run-of-the-mill S-Class just won’t do. The S is more than just a case of adding a letter to the end of the name – Rapide S features a worked-over version of Aston’s evergreen (some might say long-in-the-tooth) 6.0-litre V12. In this application, it makes 550bhp and 457lb/ft of torque – respectively 80bhp and 14lb/ft more than the old car. It’s enough to see the Rapide hit 100kph in a claimed 4.7 seconds. Quick enough, but a Panamera Turbo would utterly demolish it in a straight line.

Ah, but the Panamera is nowhere near as pretty. The Rapide has always been the most gorgeous four-door on the planet, a stunning collection of sinewy curves, chiselled features and shockingly sexy haunches. So of course, they’ve gone and spoiled it by fitting the grille from an Aristo oven on the front. Seriously, Aston: why you did it make so big? It’s like pumping collagen and botox at 25psi into Amber Heard’s lips – no one asked for it, and no one appreciates the result either.

For those who are curious, Aston’s big-mawed beauty is available immediately at a price of AED 895,500. No doubt it’ll sell; that badge and the omnipresent James Bond connection mean something to local buyers because the Dubai dealership, according to General Manager Tim Trenker is the most successful in the entire world. Take that, bad reviews!

By Imthishan Giado

This might give you an idea of how long it’s been since the last tenth-generation Corolla was unveiled; it was already two years old when Justin Bieber croaked out Baby for an unwitting worldwide audience on YouTube.

A long wait for the Corolla faithful then. And considering that there have been 40 million Corollas sold with that nameplate since 1996, a heavy burden for Toyota’s designers, one which they seemingly shirked with the last car. But hope is here at last, for the new Corolla – a byword for dull, safe transportation for millions – is a smart looking thing.

The production car leans heavily on the styling of the Furia Concept that was first shown at Detroit in January, with a look that’s known as ‘Iconic Dynamism’.  Against the odds, the final car looks very similar to that striking concept with sharper more pronounced features, finely-sculpted flanks and neatly integrated tail lights. Where the new RAV4 and Camry flirted with this design language, the new Corolla goes all the way – so to speak. Oh, and LED headlights are now standard across the range, so good luck going to your local EPPCO and finding a replacement bulb.

Don’t be fooled; despite the punched-up prizefighter looks this car is actually four inches longer than its predecessor, the growth well hidden by the shorter front and rear overhangs. The red car you see in the pictures here is an S version with all the trimmings – the green car is a base trim, hubcaps and all. Shorn of the glitzy 17-inch wheels and chrome brightwork it strongly resembles the eighth-generation car – which was probably one of the best Corollas ever built.

The interior is where things really take a left turn. Where old Corolla was Blandsville USA, this new car shows that Toyota isn’t above pinching from the Lexus playbook with a cleanly-integrated central stack and well-detailed switchgear. Wisely, Toyota resisted the urge to raid the massive corporate parts bins – with the exception of the clock, which comes from the Toyota 86.

Standard equipment includes the aforementioned LED headlamps, power windows and locks and Bluetooth and eight airbags. Higher models will get Smart keyless entry, climate control and paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Two engines will be offered at launch: an 1.8-litre four cylinder with 132bhp and a ‘Valvematic’ version of the same motor with 140bhp (Valvematic offering a broader range of variable valve timing and lift).

Following global trends, all cars except the base model get a new CVT transmission with a ‘Sport’ Mode. Base get a four-speed auto – shame on you, penny-pinching Toyota! – and a six speed manual. No prizes for guessing which one probably ends up here.