Dubai International Motor Show kicks up surprises

Rolls-Royce revealed its new convertible, the Dawn, which along with the custom Ghost was very popular.

Published: Sun 15 Nov 2015, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Mon 16 Nov 2015, 9:58 AM

As you can imagine from any event which involves cars in Dubai, the luxury segment was always going to be popular. Not only were the stands of brands including Ferrari, Bentley and Rolls-Royce crowded with admirers trying to get a picture, people were actually purchasing their dream car.
There was strong demand right across the board. Arab supercar company, W Motors revealed its new Dhs6.6million Fenyr Supersport (pictured, top). Interest was high but equal numbers also inquired after the Dhs12.5 million Lykan already on sale.
Rolls-Royce revealed its new convertible, the Dawn, which along with the custom Ghost (pictured, right) was very popular.
Regional and international media reported on the 18 global launches, 139 regional reveals and 16 concept cars which were mixed among the 600 new models on display in the five halls.
General Motors chose Dubai for its most significant global product debut when it revealed the XT5 Crossover SUV to the world. It was the first time a new Cadillac had its global launch outside of the United States.
Ford played its trump card when it unveiled the stunning GT supercar (pictured, right) that heralds the return of the marque to the LeMans 24-Hour race next year after a break of more than 40 years with the help of Youtube and Gymkhana sensation, Ken Block.
While the car technically remains a concept with no price announced, it didn't stop 30 people from wanting to place an order including one gent who offered a Dhs1million cash deposit to secure the first car.
The James Bond star cars from the latest 007 movie, SPECTRE, were together for the first time with Jaguar showing its C-X75 villain car and Land Rover displaying its Range Rover Sport SVR that came straight from the set while across the aisle, Aston Martin had Bond's very own DB10 Sports Coupé used in the movie.
Aston Martin also showed off its Dhs11 million Vulcan track car that will now be modified for the road based on the interest it has received from Middle Eastern visitors at the show.
"There will only ever be 24 Vulcans worldwide but from that, now will be a small number of road versions because that's where we have had the most interest during the show," said David McDowall, Aston Martin Dubai's General Manager.
Bentley's Dhs955,000 Bentayga SUV was one of the show's highlights and while orders have been taken from as far back as 2012 when the concept was first shown, filling the first year's allocation, demand on the stand was still strong despite a delivery schedule that now stretches into 2017.