The BMW Group once again improved sales volumes substantially in February of this year. A total of 91,758 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce automobiles were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 80,474) – representing an increase of 14.0%. The figure for the year to the end of February was 173,911 units – 15.3% higher than the previous year (150,893).
The iconic Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer, long associated with racing and performance, is introducing a new thrilling event to the Dubai sports calendar. The TAG Heuer Ice Race, which will see drivers compete in a karting race on ice, will take centre stage at the Dubai Mall Ice Rink on April 2-3, 2010. It is the first time such an event takes place in the Middle East.
Juma Al Majid met the visiting senior management delegation from Korea’s KIA Motors Corporation last week. The delegation, consisting of Mr. H. K. Lee, President of KIA Motors, and Mr. E. S. Chung, Vice Chairman of KIA Motors, came to discuss various aspects of activities related to KIA business in the UAE. The Korean delegates emphasised the ongoing efforts of KIA Motors to provide safe cars with high-levels of customer satisfaction to customers worldwide.
The SSC Ultimate Aero, of which the TT model is the holder of the world’s fastest production car title, has signed up to participate in this month’s Royal Drive event, taking place in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The car will be driven by UAE national Nasser Al Hai and will be just one of a multitude of rare supercars on display at the blue-ribbon car event.
With positive expectations of growth in 2010 in the commercial vehicles industry, Arabian Automobiles, the exclusive dealer of Nissan, Infiniti and Renault in Dubai and the Northern Emirates is displaying its commercial vehicle line-up at the on-going Commercial Vehicles Middle East (CVME). The region’s only specialised trade event for commercial vehicles is taking place from March 9-11 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
As the UAE gears up for Royal Drive 2010, enthusiasts are being given a sneak preview of the cars that will shortly grace the roads of the Emirates, as well as a chance to win free tickets to Elements, a major music festival featuring leading global acts that will form part of this unique event.
Wild imagination, creative skills and ingenious resources are in need once again to transform an automobile into a moving object of art during the second Dubai Car Art Festival which begins at Dubai Festival City from March 25 to April 2, 2010.
Adding to its range of driver assistance technologies that bring unmatched driver engagement, handling and safety features to the luxury performance segment, BMW Group Middle East has launched the industry’s first Arabic-language iDrive control system. The system will be available as a standard feature for most BMW models fitted with navigation, and will be available to customers in the Middle East region from early May.
Land Rover MENA’s industry leading CO2 offset programme has been heralded by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) at the 2nd Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport. The programme, which was launched across the GCC and Levant by Land Rover in 2008, picked up second place in the Environmental Protection Category at the awards, which are held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.
News is good for the Automotive Parts and Accessories industry in Dubai with total direct trade figures registering US$ 2.4 billion in the first half of the year 2009, on a par with 2007 figures.