Dubai Motor Show 2013 – Review
All the latest news from the region’s biggest Motor Show!
By Imthishan Giado
- Read our show information and preview guide here
- Shahzad’s best bits of the Dubai Motor Show
- Our gallery of images from the Motor Show
- Devel 16 – the 5000bhp super car from Dubai
- Nine facts from the Chrysler Group Roundtable at the show
- Motor Show Photography competition
All this week, I’ll be bringing you back live updates from the show. Keep checking back for all the latest news!
Our video blogs from the show:
Ford
Fusion
Say hello at last to Ford’s replacment for the Mondeo – the Fusion saloon. Priced from AED86,000 to AED139,000, it’s poised to take the fight to the reigning CamCordIma class – and those pesky Kia/Hyundai twins as well. 2.4-litre four cylinder to start (expect 170ish bhp from this one) and later at the top end, a 2.0-litre Ecoboost engine pinched from the delicious Focus ST.
EcoSport
The subcompact SUV segment is really hotting up – first Chevrolet rolls in with the new Trax (see below) and now Ford fights back with its budget mini-crossover, the EcoSport. 1.5-litre four cylinder engine, auto and manual transmissions and good prices – AED67,000 to 80,000.
Great Wall
Wingle 5
Great Wall’s stand at the Dubai Motor Show is a work of sheer genius, in the most genuine sense of the word. And you have to admire them for their testicular fortitude. They’re taken a stand in the actual show – not at the back like Brilliance and BAIC – to show off various poorly put together copies of other, better copies. Seriously, I can’t tell how much hilarity I mined from their stand, trying to spot which car inspired what. Making things even better, nearly all the cars on their stand were manuals – because that’s what everything buys, right? – and used some old Mitsubishi powerplant under the hood.
This pickup was called the Wingle. Wingle 5, to be exact. Can I add anything to that? No.
Hover Pi
Thought the Wingle was bad? That’s nothing! Meet the Hover Pi, a stretch limousine clearly derived from a truck chassis. 6.9 glorious meters long and fitted with a 2.4-litre – you guessed it! – Mitsubishi engine paired to a – right again! – five speed manual. Because every limo driver knows the secret of a smooth ride is working an agricultural clutch in traffic.
What is the price of all the magnificence? Care to guess? You have? You’re wrong. Can you believe the Hover Pi costs – wait for it – AED230,000?
Optima Turbo
The Koreans are going turbo crazy! After the Veloster Turbo (see below) they’ve added a 2.0-litre Turbo engine under the sharp hood of the great-looking Optima saloon, now putting out a beefy 272bhp and 269lb ft of torque fed to the soon-to-be-protesting front wheels through a six speed auto. Prices? Actually quite reasonable: you’ll pay AED110k for a base Turbo with 120k for the top of the range. Makes you think twice about a GTI or OPC, doesn’t it?
Mazda
Mazda 3
Regional premiere of the Mazda 3, my favourite of the compact hatchbacks mainly because it’s actually really fun to drive. The new model promises more of the same with a more powerful engine – a 2.0-litre 155bhp version is now available with a modern six-speed auto (take that Toyota with your poverty-spec four speed for the new Corolla) joining the existing 1.6. Prices? Expect something in the range of AED60-80k.
Hyundai
Veloster Turbo
Finally! After literally years of asking the boys from Hyundai are at last bringing the turbo version of their smash-hit Veloster to the UAE. The Veloster Turbo (as I’ve written about previously) will have a turbocharged (doh) version of the car’s existing 1.6-litre engine, taking power from 128bhp to 201 bhp and upping torque from 116lb ft to 195lb ft. As for transmissions the car at the show features a six-speed auto; no promises they’ll bring a manual down though they sell one elsewhere in the word.
This is a warm hatch rather than a full-on hot hatch so it’s priced accordingly – around AED82,000 according to stand representatives. Cheapest 200bhp car on sale in the region?
Hennessey Venom GT
The World’s Fastest Production Car? According to John Hennessey, that is. The numbers are staggering – 267.8mph or 430kph in our lingo and you can well believe it because under that stretched Lotus Exige body is a twin-turbocharged 7.0-litre V8 producing in max tune 1244 – yes, 1244bhp – and 1,155 lb/ft of scarcely-believable torque, somehow going through a six-speed Ricardo manual transmission.
Toyota
Corolla
Most important car at the Dubai Motor Show? In earlier editions it could be argued yes, but the Corolla is not the sales powerhouse it once was, although it still does very well for local dealer Al Futtaim Motors. They’ll be looking to this all-new 2014 model to bring some enthusiasm back for the car that put the Middle East on wheels.
First impressions? Doesn’t feel hugely different from the old car in terms of dimensions but the interior is a lot better to look and the interior is quite modern as well in terms of shapes and materials. Engine choices are a 124bhp 1.6-litre four cylinder and for the first time ever, a 2.0-litre which should put out in the region of 150bhp if it’s the same as the one sold in other markets. . If it’s the s. All will be hooked up to a four-speed auto which is a bit old fashioned – why don’t we get the CVT?
86 Open Concept
The wildly popular 86 (heck, even I bought one!) can be seen at the show in convertible form. Good looking thing in the metal, and retains all of the coupe’s rakish lines without the dreaded big backside, thanks to a folding soft top. Also at the show is a TRD version of the 86 featuring a number of cosmetic mods – TRD oil cap, steering wheel, gearknob, side skirts and exhaust. We hear these parts are also now available at the dealer as well, though the price wasn’t available.
Lexus
LF-LC
Lexus’s new concept coupe is taking pride of place at its stand and has already been approved for production. It’s Lexus LS-sized – so it’s essentially an S-Class Coupe competitor – and you’ll see a production car with a similar name in a couple of years.
Aston Martin
CC100
Works Restoration
Got an old Aston that needs restoration? No, we don’t either but in the unlikely event that you do, Aston can now do a complete restoration using the considerable resources of its Works team. They’re capable of some truly incredible feats – manual gearbox Aston Vanquish swap, anyone? – but be warned: this won’t come cheap. Considering how much Astons are worth though, it makes sense to use the talents of the people who made them in the first place, rather than some random Al Quoz garage, doesn’t it?
Cadillac
XTS VSport
We like the XTS here at MME but if there’s one thing people have wanted since its launch last year, it’s more power. Well you won’t be getting a V8 but you will be getting the next best thing – a twin-turbo version of the 3.6-litre engine under the hood that now puts out a meaty 410bhp going to all four wheels via standard magnetic ride control (which is also good enough for Ferrari so great handling is assured) and an entirely reasonable starting price of AED245,000. Even with some options, the tasty looking display car only went up to AED285k.
Chevrolet
Trax
Yet another new introduction from Chevrolet – the Trax is a baby crossover that’s got Ford’s new EcoSport right in its sights. Four cylinder engines, prices ranging from AED62,000 to 82,000.
Silverado High Country
New top of the line spec for the Silverado – massively upscale leather interior, lashings of chrome, huge alloys. If you want the best possible Silverado, this is the one to get – and it’ll cost you AED190,100.
Corvette pricing starts AED250k – plenty of tasty options though!
Corvette
As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one star of the show – and it’s the same car I saw in chilly Detroit, nearly a year ago. Yes, the new C7 Chevrolet Corvette continues to have an iron-clad grip on my heart. I am also in the immensely fortunate position of having driven it – and I can tell you right now that it lives to the hype and then some. 460bhp, proper seven-speed manual and rear-wheel drive are all that I’m looking for in an automobile, but this one also genuinely stops and goes like a well-sorted junior supercar. I don’t know how the forthcoming Z06 (or Z07, as it’s rumored to be called) will possibly improve on this masterpiece.
Prices start at AED250k which is entirely reasonable if you’re after something with this much grunt (the car on the stand with a plethora of options sells for a recommended price of AED310k). Or you could even have a Camaro ZL1 – 580 mouthwatering bhp for AED246,000. Decisions, decisions….
Tahoe
An all-new version of the 7-seat SUV beloved by families across the Middle East. Imposing in person with a big chrome leering front end and geometric styling, saying a definite farewell to the car-like styling in the old car. Massive improvements in the interior, every toy you could imagine, a great Infotainment system courtesy Chevy MyLink and more frugal 5.3-litre V8 engines, plus lots of tasty new features like radar cruise control and LED tail lights. What’s not to love?
Cherokee Trailhawk
Jeep’s replacement for the aging Liberty/Cherokee is finally here – and how, with this fabulous looking TrailHawk sitting proud on the Dubai Motor Show stand. 3.2-litre 270bhp Pentastar V6, nine-speed auto and Rubicon-tested ability, deliveries should start soon – can’t wait to drive it in the rough stuff and on the roads!
Alfa 4C
Alfa’s baby supercar has landed on our shores – and despite my best efforts, couldn’t sneak a quick drive! Super high tech carbon fibre monocoque (made by Maserati), 895kg and a 0-100kph time of 4.4 seconds – that’s coming from a wee 1.8-litre turbo putting out just 237bhp. Ah, now I understand light weight, you’re thinking….
Prices start at AED240,000 – deliveries will begin next year.
Dodge Viper
The mother of all beasts is finally officially here – remember we shot it here first – and now you can check this 640bhp 8.4-litre V10 monster at the show. Just as imposing in person as it is the pictures, this is the exact car we’ll be driving in a few months- fingers crossed, manual gearbox and all. What is it to like? The words “mental” and “scary“, we’ve been told, are accurate descriptions…
