Hagwalah: That Was, Way, Way Too Close for Comfort…

The only thing that's more senseless than hanging out of a car that is practicing the outlawed Saudi Arabian style of drifting known locally as 'hagwalah' is to stand on the side, or even worse, in the middle of the road, to watch the spectacle.

And let's say you do, if a car is drifting slide-ways towards you at high speed, shouldn't you at least start running away as fast as you can?
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Londoners Enraged by Arab Supercar Invasion, Deeply Annoyed by Their Behavior

Britain, like the rest of Europe, is facing a recession. Gulf States’ economies, on the other hand, are growing by around 6 percent a year. Add in the fact that the latter are the single largest producer of crude oil in the world and you can easily see why exotic supercars are flying out of the showrooms.

In Dubai, there’s a 20-month waiting list for the US$525,000 Lamborghini Aventador. It’s not just the Lambo: in the Gulf region, there’s every kind of supercar you can think of – and then some more.
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Toyota FJ Cruiser Jumps Sand Dune in Saudi Arabia, Lands Face First and Tumbles Down…

The good thing with hot deserts and sand dunes located near highways is that they're easily accessible by drivers feeling adventurous or who simply want to blow off some steam.

On the other hand, this also means that just about anyone driving an SUV or a crossover capable of going off-road can jump off the highway at any time and try whatever comes to mind without taking any precautions or acting in a sensible way.
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This is How the Nissan Juke-R looks on the Streets of Dubai at Night

Another day, another video of the production-intent Nissan Juke-R. After the release of a short film that tells the tale of the GT-R-powered crossover's race against a trio of exotic supercars, Nissan has now published two new videos of the Juke-R in the hands of the Nissan/Playstation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordoňez.

Ordoňez takes the 3.8-litre, 160mph (257km/h) Juke-R for a picturesque ride in and out of Dubai.

Earlier this month, Nissan announced that the Juke-R would be made available to buy in a very limited run on a build-to-order basis. The production models will be fitted with the improved 545hp V6 drivetrain and chassis of the MY12 GT-R (2013MY in North America).

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Videos Show Blackwater Mercenaries Running Over a Woman and Smashing Into Cars in Iraq [NSFW]

An alarming set of five videos showing a U.S. security contractor formerly known as Blackwater (the company has since changed its name to Academi) performing malicious acts on Iraqi roads are making the internet rounds.

The footage that dates back to 2006 was published online by Harper’s Magazine as part of a special feature in this month's edition titled "The Warrior Class: A golden age for the freelance soldier". The article by journalist Charles Glass is about the growth of private military and security contractors in the aftermath of September 11.

Inside he describes some of the scenes seen in the video footage and which show Blackwater mercenaries in SUVs and military vehicles running over a woman without turning back, shooting into traffic and crashing into cars in Iraq.

We'll have to warn you that some of the scenes in the videos that follow below are graphic.

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Blackwater in Iraq (1 of 5) from Harper's Magazine on Vimeo.


Blackwater in Iraq (2 of 5) from Harper's Magazine on Vimeo.


Blackwater in Iraq (3 of 5) from Harper's Magazine on Vimeo.


Blackwater in Iraq (4 of 5) from Harper's Magazine on Vimeo.


Blackwater in Iraq (5 of 5) from Harper's Magazine on Vimeo.

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Saudi Driver Rolls Over a 2012 Lexus LX 570 on the Sand Dunes

With all these crazy internet videos of mostly amateur drivers performing amateur yet often dangerous stunts on and off the road in Saudi Arabia, one has to believe that owning a car dealership and/or a repair shop must be an extremely lucrative business in the country.

Carscoop reader 'Stallion' tipped us off about another mishap that occurred on the sand dunes of the Saudi Arabian desert when the driver of a 2012 Lexus LX 570 somehow managed to flip over the large SUV.

Judging by the cheering and the claps in the last of the three videos, we're going to assume that no one was hurt in the accident.

Source: Carscoop

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BMW to Open Largest Showroom Worldwide in Abu Dhabi

BMW Group has opened the world’s largest showroom for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and BMW motorcycles in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Motors, the BMW Group’s long-standing importer for the region, has invested around AED 300 million (approx. 62 million euros) in the new 35,000-square-metre showroom over its three-year construction.
The facility features separate showrooms and sales areas for the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce cars, and for BMW motorcycles, with more than 70 automobiles and 10 motorcycles on permanent display. The dealership also has an extensive range of newer pre-owned vehicles as well as a service area that will be able to perform maintenance on up to 120 vehicles simultaneously. More than 450 staff members will work at the facility.

“The Middle East is an important region for the BMW Group. We sold more vehicles here in 2011 than ever before. There is tremendous future growth potential in many countries in this region and in the United Arab Emirates in particular.” said BMW Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, during the opening ceremony.

The BMW Group achieved a new sales record in the Middle East in 2011. A total of 18,657 BMW and MINI brand vehicles were sold last year in the region’s 14 import markets – an increase of more than nine per cent year-on-year. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) accounted for more than 47 per cent of deliveries, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai the largest markets.

The best-selling vehicles in the region in 2011 were large model series such as the BMW 7 Series with 4,511 vehicles delivered to customers, the 5 Series (4,286 units), the X5 (2,620 sales), the X6 (2,510 deliveries) and the 3-Series (2,033 cars). In 2011 the Middle East was the third biggest market worldwide for the BMW 7 Series following China and the United States of America.

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