The 8th Dubai Motorshow is being held in WTC Dubai between 12th and 16th Dec, 2005. I managed to visit there after work and was really impressed by the exhibition. The cars, the stalls, the models, all were absolutely amazing.

There were some concept designs from Chevy, GMC and BMW. It was good to see those pencil sketches in real life. Toyota unveiled a concept hybrid “CS&S” which runs on electric-gas engine.

The CS&S is a 4-wheel-drive mid-engine 2+2 sports car. Employing Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, an electric motor drives the front wheels, while a gas engine and electric motor in combination drive the rear. CS&S also unveils “Toyota Space Touch,” where the driver selects functions by “touching” holographic projections. There were other concepts, but the most practical and anticipated was the BMW Z4, which has, principally been created by adding a roof to the convertible to make it a coupe’.

The Honda stall was fully crowded at all times, the primary attraction being the 2006 civic with its awe inspiring interior. However, the new shape seems to have been carved out of the recently redesigned Accord. The stall became a black-hole of anxious, wide-eyed onlookers when the fascinating ASIMO was brought out and showed some of its unique walk and dance steps.

The big bullS were there with all their attitude, attracting a hefty crowd. However, most of the lambos were “reserved”, meaning they were already bought off the exhibition floor. The great Bugatti Veyron, with an exhorbitant price tag of AED 4.3 millions, had a unique stance, with only a few previlidged (locals) allowed to come close to it. 4 customers have already paid the AED 1.4 million deposit for the supercar.

In the Chevy Pavillion, the new Corvette Z-06 wouldnt allow anyone to move away, while Dodge launched the new Charger Hemi, and had strategically parked the classic 1969 Charger alongside.

It is difficult to stop your eyes from popping out and drooling all over yourself when you see not 1, but 2 of your favorite cars side by side staring right in your eyes. The Ford stand had the new GT, Mustang 2005 GT and convertible versions, and the classic 1964 Mustang all together. This stand took the most of my time in the show.

One interesting feature was the Carver, which is a cross between a car and a bike. Actually a highly advanced (and expensive) trike, the Carver tilts as much as 45degrees upon turning. Even with the price tag of AED 150k, there are few running around in the UAE.

Then there was the grand Aston Martin stand, that launched its new 380bhp 2 seater, and of course, who could miss the Rolls Royce, Bentley and Maybachs. An interesting feature was Rijck, a company that builds armored vehicles out of Mercedes, Maybachs and Hummers. The cars even feature run-flat tIres and explosion proof fuel tanks.

Overall, the exhibition was 30% bigger this year and has brought in business worth millions of dirhams.

……and then we complain about traffic!!

P.S: I’ll be uploading the pics on flickr shortly.