DUBAI // It weighs almost 20 tonnes, has a top speed of 160kph and looks like it could star in the next Transformers movie.
And with its giant cyclops-like windscreen sitting above a sleek sports car styled bonnet, the eleMMent RV mobile home could quite easily double as the preferred mode of transport for a James Bond villain.
Described by its manufacturer, Marchi Mobile, as a private jet on wheels, the luxury German-made vehicle has a price tag to match: it will set you back a cool Dh10 million.
The massive machine is one of hundreds of toys, games, planes, cars and gadgets on show at Dubai's annual two-day celebration of extravagance - Big Boys Toys, this year being held at Atlantis The Palm hotel in Dubai.
"Everything is made of the highest quality," beamed a proud Mario Marchi, the company spokesman.
"The driver's cabin has Porsche leather upholstery, there is a sky bar area on top and we even have sports wheels."
The 12-metre long mega-vehicle can be used as a mobile home, VIP transport and as a promotional platform.
Fuel economy comes in at about 20 litres per 100km, so trips to your local petrol station will be a regular occurrence.
Typically, the eleMMent RV can seat five people and its interior can be configured to have a lounge and bedroom with an en-suite rain shower.
Tables and seats can be rearranged at the press of a button and everything from the air conditioning to the lighting can be tampered with via interactive panels. The proud owner can even take a tablet computer from a console to monitor his multi-million dirham investment while he's away spending even more cash.
"We think the UAE is a good potential market and we have already sold units in Russia, Turkey, Germany and Austria," said the spokesman.
"We also provide a 24-hour service for customers and can monitor systems onboard remotely from our headquarters in Vienna."
For those looking for something a little more rugged, the Dual Tracked Shredder from Toronto-based BPG Werks offers the ultimate in off-road craziness.
The machine looks like a skateboard mounted on tank tracks and is controlled by shifting the driver's weight back and forth on the board. "We looked at the power sports sectors and found that it was shrinking, whereas extreme sports like skateboarding were growing fast," said Benjamin Gulak, the company's CEO.
The machine is proving to be a success, with 5,000 on pre-order in the United States already.
It comes in a basic 48kph model costing US$2,600 (Dh9,500), a 72kph version for $5,000 and $16,000 top of the range option that can hit speeds of 110mph. All run on regular petrol.
"It's a real thrill racing one of these. Although they don't go as fast as a motor-cross bike, the fact that you have to balance yourself makes it an exhilarating ride," said Mr Gulak.
"It can go on snow, mud, sand - pretty much anything. It's really robust as well. The US airforce had one for eight months and ran it into the ground - but when they returned it, it carried on working."
Also on show is the ultra-light Prime aircraft from Blackshape Aircraft in Italy, and a five-metre widescreen MegaGlass television from Slovenia's ARS Studio.
But Big Boys Toys is not all about blowing your bank balance on the biggest and best gadgets just to show off to your friends. Some of the products on offer also have a use, like getting you into shape.
Fitness fans can try out the Dh250,000 Huber Motion Lab that uses a tilting platform and vibrating bars to help you shed the pounds - and the dirhams, of course.
Model collectors need look no further than the 1:8 scale size radio controlled Leopard tank 2 A5 made from aluminium and complete with authentic engine sounds.
The machine is precision made in Germany, construction will take you six months to complete and it will set you back $49,000.
One of the most popular attractions at the show was the fiendishly addictive Laporte Archery system.
The game, similar to clay pigeon shooting but with bows, arrows and high density foam discs, was attracting big crowds eager to put their shooting skills to the test.
Players must hit the discs with the special foam-tipped arrows as they are fired into the air.
It costs between €3,000 and €5,000 and has proved popular with archery clubs and schools in the US.
nhanif@thenational.ae
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
MANDOOB
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
