LONDON, 21 July 2006 — Sun, waterside café’s, hot pop groups, powerboat racing — and Shakespeare. Not exactly what you would expect at a motor show and definitely not what you would get at a motor show in the Middle East. But exactly what visitors to the British International Motor Show will find.
Covering an area equal to 63 soccer pitches, the waterfront location of London’s new ExCel venue — it’s built on reclaimed dockland close to the heart of the city — has created a new blank canvas on which the organizers have been able to develop a number of new features. Entry prices have been halved. Feature areas with activities for all the family have been created. Waterside cafés add a flamboyant flavor and a relaxed holiday atmosphere. No longer a petrol head’s closed environment, in one sweep it has become a family day out with an automotive theme.
But, lest you get the wrong idea, the show is most definitely all about cars, and the statistics speak volumes. The more than 200 individual exhibitors include over 40 vehicle manufacturers, there are 33 car launches (18 of which are global launches of new cars), and there are 16 feature areas including a Supercar Paddock where cars worth a staggering total of almost ten million dollars are on show.
Doesn’t sound like Jeddah, Riyadh — or even Dubai does it?
BMW opened the proceedings with the global launch of their stunning new Six Series Convertible. The covers came off the new car at an exclusive press briefing given by Dr. Helmut Panke, chairman of the BMW Group board of management.
With an engine that takes its inspiration from Formula One, the new BMW M6 Convertible is officially powered by the best engine in the world. Its V10 powerplant has been awarded the coveted International Engine of the Year title for the second successive year — a first in the history of the awards. In comparison to a standard 6 Series Convertible, the M-variant has revised front, side and rear bodywork for enhanced aerodynamic efficiency and to help engine cooling. BMW M’s signature quad exhaust pipes protrude from the restyled rear valance. The M6 Convertible also features a triple-layered hood with a middle component of polyurethane (PUR) foam for the most refined closed-roof driving. The hood has also been designed so that the roof-up profile has a near identical silhouette as the M6 Coupé, making it an ideal contender for Saudi Arabia being a stylish open top car that is really practical with the hood up and air conditioning on high. The car goes on sale in the UK in September but will not be available in Saudi Arabia until next year, and while the Six is not likely to be BMW’s biggest seller in Saudi Arabia, as it’s flagship (it is the German group’s most expensive BMW badged car) it will add value and gloss to the rest of the range.
In almost direct contrast, Jaguar launched the new high performance version of their acclaimed XK sportscar amid confident claims for sales performance by the Jaguar MD. Apparently, the order book for the XK currently stands at as many as have already been delivered since its introduction, and hundreds of orders for the new XKR had already been taken, as the lady said “sight unseen”.
With the high-performance Cupra R version of its Leon hatchback, Seat was the third carmaker to make a world unveiling, The new car, which goes on sale in the UK next January but will not be available in our region until later, can hit 100kph in 6.4 seconds and boasts a 237bhp power output.
Following closely on the heels of the new Range Rover, Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport, Ford owned Land Rover unveiled the all-new Freelander, Land Rover’s fourth all-new vehicle in just over four years. Freelander 2 has a choice of two brand-new engines: a 3.2-liter straight-six petrol and a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel. Both use advanced technology to deliver outstanding performance and economy.
Many manufacturers are looking at the Middle East with renewed interest and some that are not presently represented in the region at all are getting quite serious.
Top of that category is TVR, the manufacturer of incredibly fast sportscars that used to have an importer in Oman but has not been represented in the region for decades. My inside information is that during a three month factory closure ostensibly to upgrade manufacturing processes, the TVR chairman actually took cars into several countries including Saudi Arabia, driving them relentlessly to test them in our harsh conditions. Indications are that negotiations are already on-going in at least two Gulf States and since Saudi Arabia has a sales volume higher than all other states combined I guess it is logical to expect that the talks include a Saudi Arabia importer. As they say in the movies — watch this space! TVR are moving to a new factory and just before the British show opened they announced an increase in sales forcing a similar increase in staffing.
In the same high performance supercar market — yet at the opposite end of the manufacturer size chart, Barabus showed their TKR. A new name in mainstream automotive circles Barabus have been engineering high performance engines for quite some time but the TKR is their first foray into full car manufacture. Looking similar to the Noble M15, at least superficially, the car is a stunner. Designed in the UK, the car is being manufactured in Italy before being fitted with the Barabus developed engine that produces more power than an F1 racecar.
Our sources indicate that talks are at an advanced stage to bring the Barabus to the Middle East and that an announcement might be imminent. With such huge power, high tech carbon fiber body and chassis, and impeccable trimming, the prototype looked like it could give established Italian supercar manufacturers a run for their money. And talking of money, the car has a price tag of close to half a million US dollars.