Strong attendance sees more than 80 per cent of exhibitors confirm for Motor Show 2003

The Dubai Motor Show organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) is ranked among the top 10 automotive exhibitions in terms of number and quality of exhibitors and visitors and the quality of organisation. This year the visitor turnout at the Show exceeded 41,200, including a large number of VIPs, members of the Royal Families and top ranking government officials from the Gulf region. It also attracted a large number of overseas visitors from Europe and the neighbouring region, including Iran and the Indian Subcontinent.

"The visitor turnout exceeded our expectations and the exhibitor feedback indicates that most of our exhibitors had a successful show and have committed to return to the show in 2003," said Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Corporate Manager - Exhibitions, DWTC.

The responses from the world's leading automobile manufacturers present at the event indicate that they were happy about the quality of visitors. "This year the Middle East International Motor Show has been the most successful for the BMW Group in terms of enquiries and the number of orders received for all our 2002 models, especially the totally re-designed flagship BMW 7 Series model and the all-new MINI Cooper. Our stand was filled to capacity on the opening day of the show, and customers were pressing us to accept deposits on cars immediately. We had some visitors offer us twice as much for the 7-Series models that are on display," said Mr. Robert Bailey-McEwan, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East.

Some 40 leading vehicle manufacturers participated at the Motor Show along with more than 200 automobile parts and accessories manufacturers from around the world. Some of the well-know brands represented at the exhibition included Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, Jeep, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Porsche, Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, General Motors, Nissan, Skoda, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Hyundai, Pirelli and Bridgestone.

"The Dubai Motor Show this year has been the biggest and the best for General Motors. With a stand covering more than 2,100 square metres we have been able to present the entire range of our latest models to the Middle East region. The increased size of our presence at the show underlines our commitment to the success of the show and the continued confidence in the UAE and regional markets," said Paul Johnson, Regional Director, General Motors.

DaimlerChrysler, which exhibited some of its breath-taking models including the SL 500 roadster, S 63 AMG, Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge, attracted big crowd to its stand. "DaimlerChrysler Middle East is delighted to once again be participating at the 6th Middle East International Motor Show. We feel that the Motor Show is constantly improving in terms of being a very professionally organised event. The Middle East is an extremely important market for us and we invest well in presenting our products at each and every Motor Show in this region. We can also see that the other automotive manufacturers share our view in the way they have invested in their stands and have presented their products at this year's Motor Show. We look forward to participating at the next Middle East Motor Show in 2003," said Per V. Rasmussen, President and CEO, DaimlerChrysler Middle East.

The Land Rover with its innovative outdoor stand, which featured a rock-climbing wall, attracted a lot of attention and participation. "People enjoyed the outdoor design which, of course, is the natural habitat of the Land Rover brand. The Dubai Motor Show is an important event for the auto industry in the Middle East and we felt exhibitors and visitors were positive and supportive of the show," said Matt McClurg, Marketing Manager, Land Rover Middle East & Africa.

The Dubai-based Future Motors presented a number of exquisitely designed cars from companies including Herbert Hartage GmbH & Co, Carlsson Autotechnik GmbH and TechArt Automobildesign GmbH and Pagani at the Motor Show.

Four well-known car tuning and design companies present at the show included the Switzerland-based, Fab Design which specialises in high end Mercedes models, Hamann, a German company that specialises in tuning BMW and Ferrari cars, 962 Derek Bell, which designs sports models on Porsche platforms and Brabus, the exclusive Mercedes tuner from Germany. "There is a big market for specially designed and tuned cars in the Middle East. We are exhibiting at the Motor Show for the first time and have received a large number of genuine enquiries," said R Rysanek, president and designer of Fab Design.

Motor Parts & Accessories 2001, the parts and accessories segment of the show attracted participation from the world's leading automobile parts & accessories manufacturers, including tyre companies and in-car entertainment equipment manufacturers and auto industry consultants. "Dubai hosts one of the most prominent Motor Shows in the region, and we feel it is the ideal platform to introduce to the automotive industry the many innovative solutions we are developing," said Abdulla Al Ghandi, Chairman, Amautage Automotive, a Dubai-based automobile industry consultant, who offers a comprehensive suite of integrated products and business solutions for the global automotive industry.

The 'Monster Car Audio Challenge 2001' a visitor promotion organised by Monster Cable in association with the DWTC was a big draw at the show. The competition featured more than 20 of the best cars in the UAE with the top-end in-car entertainment systems, which were evaluated and rated at the show by technical experts for their power, clarity and excellence in sound quality using sophisticated decibel metres.

To add to the excitement at the show, Channel 4 FM covered the show live from the venue. Channel 4's English and Arabic stations 104.8 FM and 107.8 FM organised a 'Motor Show Listener Quiz' and gave away free tickets to the Motor Show. ARN and LBC too hosted live programmes from the venue, while the show received wide local and international media coverage.