Power cars gear up at Dubai Motor Show

Dubai: Supercars and hybrids, luxury vehicles and humble limousines, all are gearing up at the 10th Dubai International Motor Show which opens to the public on Wednesday.

The event, which takes place every two years, features 13 world debuts and 40 regional premieres.

More than 200 exhibitors from around the globe are present at the show, which spans eight halls in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and will be open until December 20.

Despite a difficult economic surrounding for the global car industry, manufacturers are convinced that the demand for cars in the Middle East is still strong and will – after a noticeable decline this year - recover in 2010 and beyond. And even the industry itself seems to have left the worst behind.

“There is a real drive in the motor industry,” says Helal Saeed Al Marri, CEO of show organiser World Trade Centre.

“Recent financial results suggest that most companies are showing gradual but steady increase. Companies are seeking to leverage on this most influential event [in the Middle East] to stimulate sales turnover,” he added.

Most of the global leaders in the car industry came to Dubai, and quite a few of them are hosting global or regional launches. Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Bentley, Jaguar, Mini, Nissan are among them, and first time exhibitors such as Luxgen from Taiwan are eyeing Dubai as a gateway to the entire GCC market.

Visitors will also be attracted by a few of 1000+ hp cars such as the Zenvo ST-1 or the 2010 Ultimate Aero. Other astounding vehicles are the 800 hp hybrid Kepler Motion, the BMW M1 Homage, and the Mercedes SLS AMG.

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