GCC still good market for supercars

Dubai : Sports cars are taking the shape of spaceships more than cars. The design helps to add speed after top speed hits a speed breaker. But then there are always options such as turbo and NOS.

The sports cars at the Dubai Motor Show are no different from a tray of tempting delicacies in all colours and shapes, waiting to be picked. From old names like Aston Martin, BMW and Audi to the new makes like Zenvo and Arash, the choice is wide for those with deep pockets.

While sports cars are a thing of beauty, the numerous supercars, ultra high-end exotic cars, were even more enthralling.

Featured at the show was the Corvette Stingray, the next generation of the Chevrolet legend.

The car is a stylised Corvette vision concept vehicle. Its design is influenced by the original Stingray racecar introduced in 1959. It also draws on Corvette heritage cues from other generations, and is officially a result of an equal combination of racecar and spaceship.

BMW's M1 concept car, first revealed in 2008, was in the limelight at the manufacturer's stand. The maker is still keeping the details close to its chest.

New to the game, Danish maker Zenvo revealed its stunning ST1, a supercar with a 7-litre V8 engine with a supercharger and turbo. The machine produces extreme levels of torque at 1,430Nm and 1,104bhp.

A surprise for the region was Audi's TT RS, a 340bhp souped-up version of the Audi TT, which was initially not expected to come to the region.

Drop expected

While the sports car segment represents small volumes, great importance is given to them. Cars in the segment from Japanese manufacturers will see a drop of over 27 per cent in 2009, according to industry reports.

"Manufacturers still look at the GCC as a good market for sports cars. That's why the global launches of many cars are taking place in the Middle East," said Michel Ayat, chief executive of Arabian Automobiles Company, the exclusive dealer of Nissan, Infinity and Renault in Dubai and the northern emirates.

A widespread change in trend, he said, is towards the gadgets and optional technology in the models as well as the speed, of course.

Daniel Redpath, marketing and PR manager for the Middle East and North Africa for Aston Martin, said that customers in the region are looking for cars with beauty and elegance that can also carry up to four people comfortably. "They don't want to compromise on beauty but also want practicality," he said.

Additionally, regional customers like to stand out with their choice of colours, he said.

"In the Middle East, we get a lot of different colours. In Europe, we see Aston Martin in black, silver and grey, more understated colours. We see that as well in the Middle East but there are also customers who want to express their taste more overtly, with oranges, yellows and reds."