| 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.
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