News in brief

Chrysler recall crisis
Chrysler is to recall almost half a million vehicles — the second recall by the firm in two weeks.

A total of 489,000 vehicles are being recalled including its new Dodge Avenger saloon, the US arm of German carmaker DaimlerChrysler said.
Chrysler said it would notify owners of the affected vehicles which are suffering air conditioning, electrical and door lock problems. It is the latest problem to hit the troubled carmaker, which may be sold.

Who’s going to buy Bond’s car?
MOTOR industry analysts predict that Adeem Investment and Investment Dar, two Islamic investment companies based in Kuwait, alongside former rally champion David Richards’ Prodrive, a race-car parts maker, will take-over Aston Martin, the British sports car maker, on Monday.
The sale would end two decades of Ford ownership of Aston Martin, best known as James Bond’s preferred ride and the only auto division that Ford has moved to divest. Put up for sale in August, Aston Martin is part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group of European luxury brands, which had a $327 million pretax loss last year, mainly because of the Jaguar unit.

New Mini to hit Mideast
Deliveries of the new Mini in the Middle East will begin later this month, the company said.
Available in a range of two models, the Mini Cooper and the Mini Cooper S, the new Mini has been enhanced and refined in design and comes with an evolutionary look, as well as boasting all-new drivetrain technology for even greater agility.
The new Mini Cooper is powered by a 1.6 litre normal-aspiration engine, developing maximum output of 88 kW/120 hp and the new Mini Cooper S comes with an even more powerful and dynamic 128 kW/175 hp turbocharged engine.

Porsche unveils new Cayenne
Porsche has unveiled three models of its second generation sporty Cayenne in Dubai.
At an impressive event held at the Al Sahra Desert Resort, the Porsche Centre launched the state-of-the-art SUVs — Cayenne, Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo models.
With a number of new and highly advanced technologies, the new Cayenne, Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo models start at a basic retail price of Dh187,000. The three models are expected to reignite the passion instilled in the hearts of Porsche enthusiasts, when the Cayenne was first launched four years ago.