Qatar Motor Show 2023: Top 10 most exciting vehicles on display

For the first time in its 118-year history the famous Geneva International Motor Show headed outside of Switzerland to be hosted by Doha, Qatar, where the glitz and glamour served up by the industry's biggest players include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Bugatti, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, McLaren and more, not to mention the celebrities like football superstars David Beckham and Ronaldinho checking out some of the most exclusive vehicles in the world. Here’s our pick of the 10 most exciting vehicles on display.

1. Audi SQ8 Making its world premiere, one of the stars in Doha is undoubtedly this new flagship SUV from the Germans, the Audi SQ8, which rides on huge 22-inch wheels and packs a 500 horsepower V8 engine to reach 100kph from zero as fast as bonafide supercars, in just 4.1 seconds thanks partly to the Audi’s tremendous four-wheel drive grip.

2. Lamborghini Revuelto Celebrating its Middle East premiere, the new Revuelto hypercar is Lamborghini’s latest V12 crown jewel of the Italian brand’s lineup. It’s only once every decade or so that we get a new 12-cylinder mid-engined Lamborghini, and the Revuelto doesn’t disappoint, with three electric motors joining the party along with the petrol engine to provide in excess of one thousand horsepower…

3. Lamborghini Lanzador In addition to the latest hypercar Lamborghini also displayed the all-electric Lanzador concept, which previews an upcoming production model from the manufacturer that promises ultra-luxurious Grand Touring capability with 2+2 seating.

4. Rolls-Royce The crowd-pulling ‘Classics Gallery’ at the Qatar motor show was headed by the star of the show, a 1962 Rolls-Royce Phantom V ordered new by the then Amir of Qatar HH Sheikh Ahmad Bin Ali Al Thani.

5. Kia EV9 The Korean giant Kia is continuing its move upmarket with new zero-emissions vehicles, and the company chose Doha as the setting for the launch of its award-winning EV lineup including the top-of-the-line Kia EV9 SUV, and the EV6 crossover as well as the EV5 concept.

6. Porsche Mission X Porsche arrived in Doha celebrating two special milestones: 60 years of the legendary 911 model as well as the company’s 75th anniversary. The treat was a highly exclusive 911 S/T launched to commemorate the iconic sports car and limited to just 1,963 examples worldwide, which you’ll note is also the first year of manufacture of the 911. Still, the show highlights was Porsche’s Mission X hypercar concept making its regional premiere in Qatar, and highlighting the very best of the manufacturer’s capabilities accumulated over decades of success.

7. Lynk & Co Luxury EV brand Lynk & Co announced its entry into the Qatari market with a new showroom opening in Doha - the company brought along four models to display at the motor show including the flagship SUV called the Lynk & Co 09 that promises a lavish level of comfort and one of the most opulently appointed interiors in the segment.

8. Lucid Air Another hotly anticipated EV brand is Lucid from California, which is currently treading on many legacy maker’s toes with its newly launched Lucid Air super-sedan that’s taken the luxury motoring world by storm with its award-winning dynamics and range in excess of 800km on a single charge.

9. Lazareth This insane looking contraption is the brainchild of a French engineer who decided to combine all the unpredictable virtues of a hovercraft with the dangers of a quad to create this ‘flying car’, the Lazareth LMV 496 Moto Volante - four wheels turn into jet engines to combine for an output of 1,300 horsepower and an all-electric range of 100km on the ground and about 10 minutes above the ground… The price for this extravagant toy is half a million dollars and just five examples will be made.

10. Mercedes-Benz German giant Mercedes attended the Qatar motor show with a full range of electric vehicles including the EQS luxury sedan, EQS SUV, EQE SUV, and the Vision EQXX concept car. The highlight is the stunning EQS SUV which is the first Mercedes-Benz developed on a dedicated electric vehicle platform and offers customers a myriad personalisation options so that each one can be specified to the buyer as a truly uniquely assembled vehicle.