The start of any year in the automobile industry is an exciting one, especially as the international motor shows get into full swing. OK, so Detroit isn’t the most glamorous of starts but at least it’s still viewed as an important platform by almost all volume manufacturers. Geneva, though, is another matter and the world’s eyes will be cast upon the Swiss capital in early March when several important cars are to be unveiled.
But the Middle East is not without its own motor shows. Apart from the biennial Dubai extravaganza, which is getting more impressive with each show, there have been ones held in Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia hosts annual motor shows with Riyadh and Jeddah taking it in turns. There’s also an annual show in Qatar and, just a few days ago, I came away from it bitterly disappointed.
Normally on media day at any motor show there’s a buzz in the air. Press conferences are called and thousands of hacks descend in a scrum towards the appropriate stands to hear what company bigwigs have to say about their latest shiny product ranges. Glamorous ladies pose next to even the most ordinary cars and photographers grapple with each other for the best vantage points from which to take their shots. Loud music pierces the air and enormous video screens show exciting film footage to entice onlookers – it’s fantastic, if only for a few hours before your feet begin to complain and your back starts to buckle under the weight of catalogues and merchandise.
Qatar had all of this. All that is, except the thousands of hacks. It was like wandering around a large, cavernous car showroom that nobody bothered to visit. Held in a single hall in the National Convention Centre in Doha, its location is possibly its greatest challenge – it’s in the middle of nowhere when it should be smack bang in the centre of the city although plans are afoot to address this. There are no hotels anywhere near the venue, either, making it difficult for exhibitors and visitors alike to plan their days effectively. But possibly its most off-putting aspect is that it seems to be The Volkswagen Group Show.
It’s understandable that VW and its subsidiaries would be there in force because Qatar Holding, the investment arm of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, owns a 17 per cent stake in the auto giant. But the “international” motor show is held to the exclusion of almost all others and that means there’s nothing really new to see. With the exception of the Bentley Continental GT V8 S, I can’t recall another regional first reveal, although Audi did showcase the concept cars that wowed Frankfurt a few months ago.
So who else was there? Ford deserves a mention, having made a decent effort with its stands, showing off its Lincoln subsidiary’s new models as well as the new (and extremely good looking) Fusion, which is now on sale across the region. Paul Anderson, the marketing director for Ford in the Mena region, has high hopes for both the Fusion and the coming market offensive from Lincoln and his optimism appears to have substance – Ford is on a roll at the moment, making the best cars in its history and it has the luxury establishment in its sights with Lincoln.
BMW also came along with its i8 but we’d already seen that in Dubai last year and, as regards everyone else, it all seemed a bit of a damp squib. Which is unfortunate because Doha is really on the map these days thanks to its successful World Cup bid, among other things.
It’s well placed to hold a really decent motor show that could rightly claim to be international and, in fairness, the event is only four years old. But it definitely needs to be more open to the non-VW brands and get itself into the heart of the city if it’s to be taken seriously on the world stage.
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