Never say never
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Despite poor attendance by major carmakers at last month’s 13th Abu Dhabi International Motor Show, amidst free style dancing, LED screens, and pounding music, participating dealers were pulling out all the stops to make the show a success for the visitors. If one looks at a successful international motor show anywhere in the world, it’s that space which opens its doors to feature new models and interesting concept cars. And it’s not just the big world debuts that draw the crowds it’s the overall ambience and content. With the dismal Oman motor show past us, all eyes were on the Abu Dhabi International Motor Show which was officially inaugurated by HH Sheikh Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy chairman of the board of trustees of the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation. In the past two editions of the Abu Dhabi show there has been an assortment of interesting cars ranging from manufacturers to privateers, tuners and modders. Although the platform has the patronage of HH Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of Interior, between 60 exhibitors, around 200 vehicles were on display and the press day saw around 20 regional and UAE launches. Compared to the Oman show, it was like a terrier vs bull run and although not as effervescent as previous editions, Abu Dhabi was at least sincere in content and presentation. Despite the valiant attempts to spruce up the show, a majority of regular motor show visitors felt it had been somewhat downgraded to the status of a retailer exhibition rather than a full blown motor show as the major brands and their respective principals especially German marques such as Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW were absent en-masse, as were premium brands such as Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, MINI and Rolls-Royce. In addition there was no presence whatsoever from Volvo, Honda, Nissan, Infiniti, Renault, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. This aspect therefore left the field wide open to just a few names who in turn took full advantage of the situation. As a result, General Motors, Ford and its brand, Korean brands such as Hyundai and Kia, and others such as Peugeot, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Maserati, Ferrari, Jaguar, Land Rover and Subaru were literally basking under the sun. Here’s a snap shot of who did what. Read on…
Chevrolet
There’s a lot happening with this global volume brand of GM and Chevrolet unveiled two key new vehicles. Following a well-received premiere of the Camaro convertible at the Los Angeles International Auto Show last year, the second outing of this car was in Abu Dhabi. Susan Docherty from GMs’ international operations was specially flown in for the reveal. While GM thinks that the convertible is a natural next step following the immensely popular revival of the Camaro, it will be offered with a 312hp direct injection V6, and a top SS model with 6.2-litre V8 engine producing 426hp. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, with an optional six-speed automatic. The second car was the refreshed Korea-built crossover SUV, the Captiva which has been enhanced for 2011. The refreshed car gets a host of upgrades including a new interior, exterior, chassis in addition to acoustic advancements.
For this premium luxury and performance brand of GM which has maintained unbroken presence in the Middle East region for over 84 years, it’s not surprising to find it now clearly in a fast track mode. And as if on cue, the Cadillac stand was suggesting a new paradigm for the luxury sedan of the future -- the XTS Platinum Concept. The full-size sedan concept not only showcases Cadillac’s emerging top-of-the-line Platinum series of models, but also suggests a befitting replacement of the DTS in terms of expressions of luxury and new technological features, including a plug-in hybrid propulsion system. Meanwhile, also on display were the 2011 CTS Coupe and CTS V-Coupe, the new luxury sports coupe designed as the centrepiece of the brand’s freshened line-up.
It’s no secret that the Ferrari brand has a special place in Abu Dhabi which has a strategic partnership with the Prancing Horse. Premier Motors, the subsidiary of Al Tayer Motors, one of the UAE’s premier automobile dealerships were responsible for Ferrari’s participation at the show. Well, visitors to the stand who were expecting the see the new Ferrari 458 Challenge, which is among the latest in a line of racers to emerge from Maranello or the 599 GTO, an extreme V12 berlinetta developed to a specific performance-oriented brief, had to be content with the 458 Italia and California only.
The global economic downturn may have impacted the fortunes of many carmakers, especially in the US, but as a domestic player Ford has been a winner as a result of its very strong fundamentals – especially when it comes to products and application of technology. The biggest credit to the Blue Oval is that it has achieved all this without borrowing US federal government bailout money. Despite shutting down one of the brands – Mercury permanently, the company focus is now on Ford and Lincoln products and the portfolio planned for Middle East was quite interesting at the show.
The SUV-specific arm of GM is definitely hungry for success and it has a couple of good reasons to be happy with its presence in Abu Dhabi. First, the Middle East region is still cool to SUVs, be it truck-based or the new trendy crossovers. GMC aims to be in both segments. The latest offering was the all-new 2011 GMC Terrain. The Terrain is a five-passenger crossover SUV that blends bold styling with fuel efficiency and premium features and has been designed as an appealing choice for existing traditional SUV customers who are looking for distinctive styling and increased efficiency. And hence it is offered with a new, 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine and 3.0-litre DOHC direct injected V6 engine.
Robin Colgan, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Middle East North Africa and Pakistan revealed the special edition of the Jaguar XKR. This is the latest evolution of the XK which has been designed to deliver performance. The car’s top speed is up to 280km/h from 250km/h and bold exterior styling changes that create the ultimate supercharged Jaguar. This special edition also introduced two new optional performance and styling options called Speed Pack and Black Pack respectively. Alongside the XKR was the Jaguar XF, complete with a high impact new Black Pack kit.
As expected, Land Rover finally unveiled a bright metallic red 5-door version of the 2012 Range Rover Evoque in its entirety. The smallest member of the Range Rover family will use a Ford-sourced 4-cylinder “EcoBoost” turbocharged engine. Expected to offer 240 hp, the 2.0-litre engine will be mated to a 6-speed automatic, with front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive options, and a choice of 19in or 20in wheels. Production of this model will commence for 2011 market introduction.
Once again, Lexus virtually lit fire at the show and that the brand was getting aggressive and widening its portfolio was quite evident at Abu Dhabi. Generating substantial interest on the Lexus stand was the recently launched high performance IS F alongside the production model of the V10-powered LFA supercar and the new hatchback five door hybrid, the Lexus CT 200h. There is limited allocation of the low volume LFA for the region and the carmaker will offer bespoke options to ensure that no two identical models will exist.