JEDDAH, 5 February 2008 — Sixty high-end, expensive cars are on display at the 3rd Luxury Motor Show 2008, which opened at the Jeddah Hilton on Sunday night. “The show is fabulous with some of the latest cars in the luxury segment that are bound to attract a large number of high-end consumers and potential buyers,” Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Saleh Turki, who opened the three-day event, said. “It is an impressive exhibition and I hope people will enjoy it,” he said, adding that an attractive feature is that some of the latest models of expensive cars are on display under one roof. “We hope this will be a bigger show next year, and we at the chamber will support it,” Turki said.
Adel A. Shakoor, president of XS Conferences, which has organized the event, said 20 companies were taking part in the show. “Around 15,000 luxury cars are selling Kingdomwide in a year and their sales are increasing by 20 percent annually in the past three years. “We have organized this show, as the market potential for 2008 is very good. We are targeting the segment of potential buyers who can afford such cars,” he added. “We are thinking of holding a similar show in Riyadh.”
Showcased are some of the latest models of cars including Infiniti, Maserati, Lamborghini, Bentley, Jaguar, Range Rover, Rolls-Royce, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
“The exhibition is very well designed and excellent,” said Dr. Renato Catania, attache, commercial section, at the Italian Consulate General, at the Maserati and Ferrari stand.
Maserati is a mix of Italian style and technology, he said, adding that the show is well designed, laid out and impressive. “The level of the exhibition and exhibits is quite high.”
Dr. Usman Khizar Hayat, general manager national strategic marketing at Alhamrani United Co., said: “Infiniti is an emerging luxury brand in the Kingdom and our growth is the fastest in the luxury segment although we are in a niche segment.” Infiniti’s growth has been phenomenal, especially in the last two years, he said.
“We are present in the show to demonstrate our strength and strong presence with super luxury cars. We want to give a strong message through this show that Infiniti is also a luxury brand with all luxury features.” Infinity has been considered as a top-notch luxury car in the US market and is now penetrating more in the Middle East market. “We are the beginners in the luxury segment. We used to have problems in terms of having the limited line up. But now, our product line up is getting bigger and bigger.”