| The
Dubai Motor Show organised by the Dubai World Trade
Centre (DWTC) is ranked among the top 10 automotive
exhibitions in terms of number and quality of exhibitors
and visitors and the quality of organisation. This
year the visitor turnout at the Show exceeded 41,200,
including a large number of VIPs, members of the
Royal Families and top ranking government officials
from the Gulf region. It also attracted a large
number of overseas visitors from Europe and the
neighbouring region, including Iran and the Indian
Subcontinent.
"The visitor
turnout exceeded our expectations and the exhibitor
feedback indicates that most of our exhibitors
had a successful show and have committed to return
to the show in 2003," said Ibrahim Al Hashemi,
Corporate Manager - Exhibitions, DWTC.
The responses from
the world's leading automobile manufacturers present
at the event indicate that they were happy about
the quality of visitors. "This year the Middle
East International Motor Show has been the most
successful for the BMW Group in terms of enquiries
and the number of orders received for all our
2002 models, especially the totally re-designed
flagship BMW 7 Series model and the all-new MINI
Cooper. Our stand was filled to capacity on the
opening day of the show, and customers were pressing
us to accept deposits on cars immediately. We
had some visitors offer us twice as much for the
7-Series models that are on display," said
Mr. Robert Bailey-McEwan, Managing Director, BMW
Group Middle East.
Some 40 leading
vehicle manufacturers participated at the Motor
Show along with more than 200 automobile parts
and accessories manufacturers from around the
world. Some of the well-know brands represented
at the exhibition included Toyota, BMW, Mercedes,
Jeep, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Porsche,
Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, General Motors, Nissan,
Skoda, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Hyundai, Pirelli and
Bridgestone.
"The Dubai
Motor Show this year has been the biggest and
the best for General Motors. With a stand covering
more than 2,100 square metres we have been able
to present the entire range of our latest models
to the Middle East region. The increased size
of our presence at the show underlines our commitment
to the success of the show and the continued confidence
in the UAE and regional markets," said Paul
Johnson, Regional Director, General Motors.
DaimlerChrysler,
which exhibited some of its breath-taking models
including the SL 500 roadster, S 63 AMG, Jeep,
Chrysler and Dodge, attracted big crowd to its
stand. "DaimlerChrysler Middle East is delighted
to once again be participating at the 6th Middle
East International Motor Show. We feel that the
Motor Show is constantly improving in terms of
being a very professionally organised event. The
Middle East is an extremely important market for
us and we invest well in presenting our products
at each and every Motor Show in this region. We
can also see that the other automotive manufacturers
share our view in the way they have invested in
their stands and have presented their products
at this year's Motor Show. We look forward to
participating at the next Middle East Motor Show
in 2003," said Per V. Rasmussen, President
and CEO, DaimlerChrysler Middle East.
The Land Rover
with its innovative outdoor stand, which featured
a rock-climbing wall, attracted a lot of attention
and participation. "People enjoyed the outdoor
design which, of course, is the natural habitat
of the Land Rover brand. The Dubai Motor Show
is an important event for the auto industry in
the Middle East and we felt exhibitors and visitors
were positive and supportive of the show,"
said Matt McClurg, Marketing Manager, Land Rover
Middle East & Africa.
The Dubai-based
Future Motors presented a number of exquisitely
designed cars from companies including Herbert
Hartage GmbH & Co, Carlsson Autotechnik GmbH
and TechArt Automobildesign GmbH and Pagani at
the Motor Show.
Four well-known
car tuning and design companies present at the
show included the Switzerland-based, Fab Design
which specialises in high end Mercedes models,
Hamann, a German company that specialises in tuning
BMW and Ferrari cars, 962 Derek Bell, which designs
sports models on Porsche platforms and Brabus,
the exclusive Mercedes tuner from Germany. "There
is a big market for specially designed and tuned
cars in the Middle East. We are exhibiting at
the Motor Show for the first time and have received
a large number of genuine enquiries," said
R Rysanek, president and designer of Fab Design.
Motor Parts &
Accessories 2001, the parts and accessories segment
of the show attracted participation from the world's
leading automobile parts & accessories manufacturers,
including tyre companies and in-car entertainment
equipment manufacturers and auto industry consultants.
"Dubai hosts one of the most prominent Motor
Shows in the region, and we feel it is the ideal
platform to introduce to the automotive industry
the many innovative solutions we are developing,"
said Abdulla Al Ghandi, Chairman, Amautage Automotive,
a Dubai-based automobile industry consultant,
who offers a comprehensive suite of integrated
products and business solutions for the global
automotive industry.
|