The residents of Dubai are no strangers to unusual cars. Wealthy sheikhs will always find new ways to make their exotic toys stand out from the pack – whether that’s an enormous, six-wheeled Mercedes G-Wagon, a gold-plated Lamborghini Aventador or an ultra-rare, jet black Bugatti.

But soon there could be some even more arrestingly eye-catching machines on the roads of the UAE: flying Uber taxis. That’s right, the revolutionary San Francisco-based tech start-up has nominated the emirate as one of only two places in the world – the other being Dallas, Texas – where it plans to turn its futuristic vision of airborne cars into a reality.

The benefits of flying taxis, according to Uber, are clear – reducing congestion and pollution on Dubai’s busy streets, vastly decreasing journey times across and between cities, and making better use of space that would usually be used to park conventional, non-airborne vehicles.

It’s no surprise Uber chose Dubai over, say, Shanghai or London. The Arab city is known for embracing the opportunity to adopt the newest transportation technology, with plans in the pipeline for one of the world’s first Hyperloop tracks and even jetpacks for firefighters.

The plan is more realistic than it may first appear. Uber attracts vast amounts of funding from outside investors and has so far dominated almost every market it has entered. The firm remains a software company as opposed to a taxi service or a vehicle manufacturer. The expectation is that Uber will partner with various other aircraft and infrastructure manufacturers who will build the aircraft themselves, the docking ports, the charging stations and so on. Uber will simply develop the technology to dispatch the flying cars to and from their destinations, likely cashing in on sizeable profits along the way.

There are, of course, logistical and regulatory hurdles to overcome, with the skies over Dubai already overcrowded, but Uber plans first to work with the USA’s Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to devise legislation enabling the flying cars to operate in Texas. The Dubai authorities could then follow suit and emulate the legislation.

Uber’s plans are ambitious, and right now, they’re still up in the air. But that might change very soon.

Tyrese Gibson will always be associated with cars, due to his role in the hit film series, The Fast and The Furious. And now his love of cars has manifested itself in the UAE.

Gibson is setting up a new venture in the UAE, setting up a branch of his jeep assembly company in partnership with Sharjah Asset Management, which is the investment body of the local government. The actor’s interest in the UAE has been peaked during several trips here, including for the premiere of the eighth Fast and Furious movie.

In a recent post on social media network Instagram, the Hollywood superstar enthused: “My #OffRoadKillers just touched down in the #UAE #V8Supercharged engine – Showroom already built!!!!”

Gibson is evidently determined to succeed with the venture and has reported the sale of 17 vehicles since opening earlier in the month. A deal has been struck to feature the jeeps in no less than 300 showrooms, and the actor reported on his Instagram account that the regional pulling power of the UAE as an aspirational destination will contribute to the venture’s future success.

The extra safety afforded by the 4×4 cars is another reason Gibson is convinced of the company’s ability to establish itself in such a competitive market. That’s because Gibson believes the cars have the ability to reduce traffic accidents and their subsequent risk of injuries. He explained: “In addition to safety measures, we focus on top performance and innovative design techniques in our customised, modified and upgraded cars.”

The actor is reported to have stayed in Al Habtoor City on honeymoon with his wife, adding to his affection for the area.

Gibson certainly made an impression at the Fast and Furious premiere, when he greeted a large group of fans dressed in a traditional keffiyeh and white kondora made for the occasion. He handed out autographed posters to fans at the Rodhe Cinema Lounge. He whetted fans’ appetite for the ‘Fate of the Furious’ move by asking a Gulf News reporter: “How can you outdo the last one? How can you make it bigger and better?”

Although car enthusiasts in the gulf might have already been lucky enough to witness the Mercedes S-Class up close and personal, nobody seems aware of what the S-Class Dash seems to have in store.

As a bit of a scoop for those seeking the latest transport news in UAE, we can bring you some official information direct from Mercedes on what to expect. Needless to say, as luxury cars go, the S-Class Dash is up there with best – so let’s take a look why.

State of the art technology

Most new cars are fitted with plenty of tech, and as expected, the S-Class Dash comes with two 12” high definition displays – but there’s more than initially meets the eye.

Mercedes has upgraded the Active Steering Assist option which allows the vehicle to keep a safe distance from traffic and obstacles, allowing it to automatically steer itself (albeit in small doses) and automatically adjust its speed when traversing corners. On top of this, a further steering module (Evasive Steering Assist) provides the S-Class Dash with the ability to apply an extra touch to the steering motion upon the detection of a pedestrian within the “danger zone”.

Further semi-autonomous features

Perhaps one of the most impressive features implemented in the new S-Class Dash is “Car-to-X Communication”. When activated, this feature will verbally alert the driver of any upcoming road hazards instead of cluttering up the display unit. Given recent changes to the law in UAE with a focus on road safety, it’s a feature that will be welcomed by government and drivers alike.

When will the Mercedes S-Class Dash be on sale?

The updated configuration is about to go on show this week in New York and Shanghai, with a release date scheduled for late summer 2017. Mercedes have remained tight-lipped on further international release dates, meaning that UAE car buyers might have to wait slightly longer for the model to reach these shores.

Until then, you can keep up to date on all the latest comings and goings in the UAE automobile world via our cars blog, featuring information on selling cars in the UAE, new vehicle news and more.

Tesla has been in operation now for almost 14 years, but in that time has only managed to pump out 3 cars. It has been long famed for its failure to deliver on time and it has displayed a constant audacity to go about the process of building cars in a way different to every other car manufacturer in our time. But in the same period it has grown to become a truly iconic global company with revenues in 2016 of 25.71 billion AED. Their vehicles have become instant hits and they are staged to change the way the automotive industry works in every way imaginable. For those reasons, it’s safe to say that the world is keenly watching Elon Musk, Tesla and the newest addition to the family, the Model 3. In the mean time, here’s everything you need to know about this new car.

Cost

The Model 3 is a car designed perfectly in line with the long term business plan for Tesla, which is to provide a stunning, all-electric car that is for the masses. With the base model starting at around 128,555 AED it will pave the way for millions of Tesla fans to finally get their hands on the car of the future.

Practicality

It is predicted that on a single charge it can travel a distance of 345 km, and with there being almost 1,000 Tesla charging stations around the globe you should be able to travel much farther before plugging it back in at home. Formal production is expected to start in July 2017 with production hitting 10,000 a week by 2018. Meaning if you want to get one, you shouldn’t have to put up with the 2+ year waiting lists that early adopters of the Model S had to contend with.

Design

The Model 3 is to be around 20% smaller than the Model S sadan and the chief designer of the car, Franz von Holzhausen described its design as a cross between a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3-series, and an Audi A4.

Name

Originally, Musk had planned to call this new car the “Model E”. This would have meant that the series of cars they had, the Model S, Model E and Model X would spell “SEX”. However once Ford caught wind of what Tesla planned they took them to court and had it ruled that it would infringe on the plans Ford have to name a car the Model E. The closest thing they could then get was the model 3. And thus this triad will now represent “S3X”; so not too dissimilar from their original plan.

You can’t just buy any car when you have a family. After all, you might not be able to fit everyone in or all the stuff you often have to carry. You might also need the car to have particular features, plus you must be comfortable driving it. Here are some things you should think about when choosing a family car.

Style of car

Lots of cars can be defined as family cars. This includes saloons, estates, MPVs, and SUVs. Some hatchbacks can also be considered as good family cars, depending on the size.

Of course, some makes and model of car are specifically marketed at families. MPVs are a perfect example. These are definitely worth looking at, but don’t limit your search to this type of vehicle – you might find something else that better suits your needs in another style.

Size of car

This is probably the most important factor when buying a family car. You firstly need to have enough seats for everyone to sit in. If your family is five people or less, this usually won’t be a problem. If you have a bigger family, however, your options will be more restricted, i.e. you will usually have to go for a seven-seater MPV or SUV.

Make sure you check the storage space too. A family car will, at various times, need to carry prams, groceries, sports equipment, and school bags – often all at the same time. You should make sure everything fits.

Car seats

Make sure your car seats fit into any new car you plan to buy. This applies even if the car is large as it can still sometimes be tricky fitting in multiple car seats, particularly if you have to get three into the back seat.

Don’t be afraid to fit your car seats in while deciding on whether or not to buy the car as it is better you know there is a problem before you hand over your money.

Technology

Finally, check the technology to ensure it meets your needs – USB charging ports for the children’s iPads, DVD screens, etc might all be essential on those long family road trips.

Buying a family car is different to buying cars for other purposes as you will use it differently. It is important, therefore, that you approach it with the right mindset. If you’re making room for a little one and thinking of selling your car in UAE to upgrade to a family vehicle, start your journey at Simply Car Buyers. We buy any car for a guaranteed hassle-free sale.