Post show script: I must have walked in excess of two dozen kilometres at the Show in the four days I visited it. For those who missed it this year, here’s the short-cut.
[As DIMS has only its last day left for you to catch up with the now of motoring, here is what not to miss at the stalls. I might have missed some, but those listed here are themselves worth your aching legs!]
Here, the Jaguar CX-75 and the Aston Martin DB 10 aren’t playing cat and mouse, even though their stands are close enough. The Range Rover Sport that also featured in Spectre with its frontal dent intact is joining the tableau completed by the dusty Defender. This part of the Dubai International Motor Show 2015 looks like Madame Tussauds, with live action from the Spectre standing absolutely still. For more ‘revealing’ images, look for the F-Pace, the SUV from Jaguar.
The Ford GT says hello in red from where it was flanked by Ken Block and Abdu Feghali just a couple of days ago. The Jaguar F-Pace and the Bentley Bentayga are the realized iconic aspirations of not only Jaguar and Bentley, but also of a large community of motoring lovers. On a smaller scale literally, the Mazda MX-5 sits gleaming in the happy memories of a one-night stand with Alfa Romeo. The result is nothing short of a huge smile on our face.
The Toyota Prius has been a major part of hybrid car history elsewhere; but this is the first time our region is getting to see it.
Yet, the new Land Cruiser takes pride of place in the Toyota stand, where it can clearly see its arch rival take its elevated stance on the Nismo stage and installation with piled up sand for the Patrol Desert edition to strut its stuff up.
The Maserati Alfieri concept that celebrated the brand’s 100 years last year makes its appearance in Dubai while the Ferrari 488 GTB vies for attention with the Lamborghini Huracan hardly a soft callout away. For the complicated visual pleasure and stop-breath splendor W Motors presents us with Fenyr, with everything legendary including its name. Chances are it will be seen only in Motor Shows for a while, so great reason there not to turn away.
Honda is notable this year with its absence, especially when it had news for the stands in the Odyssey J and the all-new and impressive Pilot. Ssangyong plays up Tivoli but Renault has chosen to stay out. Volvo sticks to its corporate strategy of making an appearance in the fewest international shows.
The world premieres at DIMS this year are six, of which the most notable is perhaps the XT5 which continues the crossover story of Cadillac, from where SRX left it. It’s also the first time ever a Cadillac has been launched for the world, outside of the USA. The brand’s new flagship, the CT6 is another visual treat at the same stand.
The new ‘Dawn’ marks the first ever convertible from Rolls-Royce while another spot in the same sprawling stand of the Group is the long awaited BMW 7-series. Speaking of regional favourites that had a clean up and lift up operation long coming, the G-wagen in a bitter yellow stands out above all the AMG power of the Mercedes pavilion.
Audi has a gale brewing in its stand named after the R8. If Volkswagen is counting on the Golf Clubsport to turn heads and the all-new smiling Passat for a smile back, Peugeot has the 308 GTi upfront, in stunningly sporty interiors and a red& black two-tone shell.
The reason for the snowballing kandooras and dishdashas becomes clear as they move aside to reveal the Sierra National Day edition at the GMC stand. Wrapped in the UAE flag colours, it gets a full dose of national flavor, and fervor in return.
On the opening Media day, we had started off with the all new white Camaro on display at the Chevy stand, and witnessed the new Hyundai Sonata and the new Kia Optima with its black grille thrill, before moving on to an entire hall of Chinese delegation of automotive brilliance.
One of the striking concepts on show Lincoln Continental
Where the Warrior from Dongfeng Motors bring back memories of an indomitable Hummer, and Luxgen promises to usher in a new era of luxury, at the least making purchase decisions harder than ever!
Luxgen is from Taiwan and leads the new set of wheels in town, in features and in price.
