The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani tours the Qatar Motor Show 2013 after inaugurating it at the Doha Exhibition Centre, yesterday.
By Isabel Ovalle
DOHA: The Qatar Motor Show (QMS) kicked off yesterday with the unveiling of the Arab world’s first high performance luxury sports car, the Lykan Hypersport 2013, by W Motors.
The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani inaugurated the third edition of the QMS at the Doha Exhibition Centre, which opens its doors to the public today.
After taking a walk around the exhibition, the Prime Minister told the press that events like the Qatar Motor Show are “important because they bring new ideas”.
He also talked about the impact for the motor showrooms in Qatar, which get a chance “to see the latest car models. We are always very keen to see more exhibitions in Qatar,” he added.
The manufacturer of the first Arab supercar, priced on QR12.4m, will make only seven of these models and has already received requests from clients in the region, as well as Russia and China. For W Motors chairman and CEO Ralph Debbas, “this is story in the making, because this is the First Arabian Hypercar and the most exceptional one the world will ever see.”
The Lycan has 750 horsepower, allowing it to reach speed of 395 kilometers per hour. It comes with gold-stitched interiors and features a holographic display and a Flat 6 twin-turbo engine.
Other luxury brands revealed new models such as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S or the Audi R8. For high-range brands like these, 2012 was a good year that ended with an increase in sales in the region.
George Willis, Managing Director at Porsche Middle East, said that the number of cars sold in Doha’s Porsche center was over 1,000 last year -141,000 new vehicles worldwide- resulting in a 95 percent raise on sales in comparison to 2011. Audi also had a good 2012, with an increase in sales that made this German manufacturer the number one premium brand in Europe, with record sales in Middle East as well.
The Peninsula
