It is a show as any other on earth where the thumb rule of the box office applies. The audience should get back every dirham’s worth of entertainment and fun. And a pint of information to boot for the Fifty five dirhams they pay. So, is the 2013 Dubai International Motor Show living up to the expectation?
Check out this ‘must see’ exhibits at each stall and sum it up for yourself. Of course there are fun, games, contests and pure adrenaline happening on the sidelines. But here I have included just the main attractions – that is, cars. The much awaited launches, weird and wonderful concepts and other particularly engaging cars. There could be more in there, but definitely not less.
Alfa Romeo: The just-launched Alfa Romeo 4C is one of the most talked about sports cars on show.
Aston Martin’s 100th anniversary concept car the CC100! This V12 speedster is one of two in the world.
Check out the open split cockpit and the cutaway “see-through” door of the CC100. Hope you noticed it!
Aston Martin: This DB9 in matt dark finish looks out of this world.
This DB6 from 1970 is on of my favs in the show!
The Audi stand features, among its elegant fare, three cars that were launched here on media day – the RS7, the RS6 Avant and the S3 compact sedan.
Audi RS7 with a 0-100 figure of 3.9 seconds, at the launch.
Bentley: The unique Mulsanne with its exquisite Arabic touches and a 6.75 L engine!
Bentley Stall: You might not be able to get as close as I did, but the Mulsanne looks exquisite and expensive from a few feet away too. New Flying spur with 625 PS power is another top draw.
BMW i8, the future of sports cars
Of course BMW does have its new models to show off but the star of the stall is the i8, the plug-in hybrid sports car, which is finally ready to hit the market mid 2014.
Bugatti Meo Costantini 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine, 1,200 horsepower, 0–100 kmph in 2.6 seconds.
Bugatti stall: Lay your eyes on another legend just unveiled by Bugatti. Based on the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, the signature commemorates Meo Costantini who led Bugatti’s racing team from 1927 to 1935. At its speed, you won’t get to see it often, so take a good look.
Cadillac stand: 2014 CTS - based on the ATS styling and format. Stunner!
Middle East's favourite Escalade in its 2015 version revealed at the Cadillac stand.
Chevrolet Stand launched new Tahoe - another favourite "mom's school bus" of the region!
For those who haven't seen the Corvette 7th gen, this is the place.
Chrysler Group stand: Just launched, SRT Viper GTS is another sporty attraction, right next to the Alfa Romeo 4C!
Dubai Police Stand: The mix of superstars doesn’t get better than this. Nissan GT-R, BMW M6, Audi R8, Mercedes SLS 63 and a Fezza are on show.
Ferrari Stand: 459 Speciale, the Berlinetta and more.
Ford stand: The launch of the new Fusion. The Ford Ecosport looks cute and compact.
Hyundai stand: Veloster won't complain of power shortage now with the Turbo!
Infiniti: Q50 was launched on the first day. The new avatar of G-sedan is a stunning upgrade!
Jaguar: Watch out for the well awaited concept SUV CX17 from Jag. And the Jaguar F-type is any day a pleasure to behold.
Jeep: The new Grand Cherokee
Kia: Nothing hugely different here but the show launched the mildly new Optima, the Cadenza, and if you haven’t seen it yet, the Quoris!
Lamborghini: There might be nothing new here, but the bull always pulls.
Lexus: The celebrated sports concept LF-LC in flesh.
Lincoln: Lincoln MKZ concept – renewed styling, flowing lines and uncompromising interiors
Maserati stall: First glimpse of the Ghibli, named after the desert wind.
Mazda: New Mazda 3 with SkyActiv technology and the new gaping grille, packed with class defining features. (Once again, distraction regretted!)
McLaren: MP4-12 C variants and the celebrated P1.
Mercedes Stand: Among new models, the S class Coupe concept. You can also check out the six-wheeler truck
Mitsubishi: All-new Outlander and Attrage sedan
Nissan Stand: The region’s favourite Nissan Patrol gets a mild mid-cycle refresh and a global launch. See the Nissan Leaf too, if you wanted to see what a Zero Emission vehicle looks like!
This is the Limited Edition Black Matt Nissan Patrol 2014. Looks like already eager patrons are impressed!
Opel: Cascada open top is a new launch while Insignia's variants and other Opel models could be new to many.
Peugeot: 2008, compact crossover. Just launched as you can see!
Porsche Stand highlights the 911 GT3 - the new track icon. Then there is the ‘50 years of 911’ models.
Range Rover: The first day launched the new Range Rover Autobiography
Rolls Royce Stand features a Wraith on loan. It features a starry sky inside that freezes the stellar positions on the 1st of March, 2003, the day the model was handed over to its first customer. Priceless customization!
The rear canopy of the Wraith is a star-studded sky created with diamonds!
At the Toyota stand, the FT-86 open concept looks quite cool!
Toyota Corolla all-new 2014 model is totally revamped. 70 million Corollas sold so far, imagine!
Volkswagen Stand: The Crossblue concept 7-seater showcases the future direction of the brand.
The last two letters are both about supercars. In fact W is the name of the motor company that builds Lykan, which will soon move its facility to the UAE. The Zenvo is a rare produce of Denmark and one of the 15 built (made just because they wanted to build Supercars!) shares some style with the Lykan in that they both resemble ‘transformers’.
W Motors stand: Lykan Hypersports 2015 is about to be a Hollywood star! Check out the local superhero!
The new supercar from Denmark. Meet Zenvo even before you’ve heard of it.
From automakers present last year, Volvo, Skoda and MG Motors were conspicuously absent and so were some of the after-market reinforcing and tuning companies. However, Brabus is around with their modified Mercedes models.
FORCE CHINA: Donfeng, JAC, BAIC, Chery, and Great Wall Motors many of which are here for the first time have their share of attention as well.
The Dubai International Motor Show runs from the 5th to 9th of November. Entry tickets are priced at AED 55 and are available at the venue. For a full schedule of events, read my earlier article.
