Luxury is buzzword amid flashy line-up

Once again the Dubai World Trade Centre is playing host to the heavyweights of the automotive world. The first few hours were dedicated to the media who trooped through the exhibition halls to witness a series of glittery launches both regional and worldwide. Car brands jostled to showcase their latest in innovations, flanked by the obligatory eye candy and other occasional gimmicks.

Luxury was the buzzword of the day reflected in the millions of dirhams worth of car muscle spread across the hall. Royalty in the motoring world such as Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Maserati, Lamborghini and Porsche made sure their presence was felt with their expansive stands. Automotive conglomerates happily boasted about their increase in sales. General Motors announced its figures for the Middle East were up 21 per cent, Ford declared a 51 per cent increase in first quarter sales and Mercedes posted a 14 per cent increase in early 2011 sales figures.

Making a quiet revolution among all the sparkle were the green cars. Despite previous efforts for a greener automotive industry, high disposable income and low fuel costs has meant that lowering carbon emissions has remained a low priority for UAE motorheads. Rolls-Royce is using this year's Motor Show for the regional launch of its Rolls Royce Phantom 102EX electric which comes with the world's largest electric car battery at 640kg and a price tag of Dh5.86 million.

Green Car Rental is one company paying attention to local tastes. The rental company, which launched only a week ago, is offering a range of high-end environment friendly cars ensuring consumers don't feel like they have to compromise on luxury if they decide to go green. Their portfolio so far consists of models such as the Tesla Roadster, BMW ActiveHybrid X6, Mercedes S400 Hybrid, Lexus LS 600h, Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius.

His inventory is a selection of electric and hybrid cars. Hybrid cars, which are proving more popular, combines the conventional gas engine with a bank of batteries sharing the power between the two sources and as a result, almost halving car emissions.

Mazen Al Toukhi, general manager of Green Car Rental is pretty happy with the reception. From the inquiries he's been getting he can see that the majority of his client base will be companies looking to boost their green reputation. He's already had requests to rent out whole fleets of cars to companies like Masdar and the British Embassy. Steve Graham a senior consultant heading up the stand for Advanced Global Trading, has a tough sell at this years' Motor Show.

He's looking to encourage people to reduce their emissions and swap it for carbon credits, which can then be floated on the Carbon Trade Exchange and eventually exchanged for money or set against an environmental project. The UK-based company set up office in Dubai earlier this year following t he line of demand coming from the Middle East.