Luxury high performance sports cars such as those manufactured by the likes of Porsche and Lamborghini are sure to turn a fair few heads when the 9th Middle East International Motor Show revs up later this week but, of course, the event is about a whole host of models and brands across varying budgets.

Mercury, the Ford Motor Company’s mid-range luxury brand, is certainly hoping to generate a strong response at the event with the introduction of its Montego sedan and the compact Mariner SUV. The brand saw the roll-out of its mid-size Milan this year and Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East’s Sales and Marketing Director, is hoping the availability of five models from the Mercury brand will attract more customers to the firm’s showrooms throughout the region.

Mercury enjoyed its strongest popularity in the late 1970s and early 1990s, offering drivers  a ‘distinguished but not ostentatious’ choice of vehicle. But these days sales are steady if not spectacular and the brand has shifted 100,000 units in the Middle East over the past decade.

It remains to be seen whether the Middle East, and the Gulf in particular, has much appetite these days for a car that is more sensible and sober than sexy.

Dubai World Central (DWC) , the colossal 140 square kilometre ‘aviation community’ being built in Jebel Ali, was in the news last week as it formed part of the newly created Dubai City of Aviation, alongside Dubai Airports and Dubai Air Traffic Navigation, following a governmental decree.

The vast airport at the heart of DWC, formerly known as the Jebel Ali International Airport, or simply JXB, was also re-named the Al Maktoum International Airport for good measure.

But DWC is promising even more ’major announcements’ in the upcoming days as the Dubai Air Show kicks off tomorrow. The previous headlines will take some beating one would have thought.

DWC certainly has a sizeable presence at the show with its stand occupying some 5,000 square feet as it looks to parade its various zones such as DWC Logistics City and DWC Commercial City.

It is also worth remembering that when the biennial air show next comes round again in 2009, it will actually be located in DWC at Dubai Exhibition World - a site twice the size of the current location at Airport Expo.