Dubai International Motor Show 2009

The Dubai International Motor Show ended on a bullish note on Sunday with the automobile industry leaders sounding increasingly optimistic of a speedier than expected revival of fortunes as the global economy showed signs of a recovery. As curtains came down on one of the largest automobile trade showcases in the world that witnessed the global debut of more than a dozen respected car brands and scores of regional launches, Dubai has once again underscored its position as the regional show window of the global motoring industry. While exhibitors representing almost every leading car manufacturer sought to showcase their latest products at the main exhibition area spanning across eight halls of the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, automobile industry experts debated at a seminar on the future outlook for motoring in the Middle East as the automotive industry braced for revolutionary changes in its drive toward sustainable mobility. Green initiatives by automobile majors drew a lot of attention at the biennial show as the awareness about sustainable mobility gathered momentum in the Middle East region. Exhibitors of luxury brands including Rolls-Royce, BMW and Mercedes Benz were in full force along with Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Daihatsu, Hyundai, Kia, KTM, Peugeot, Renault, Shelby Super Cars, Mitsubishi, and Zenvo. The show also witnessed the debut of AC Cars, Luxgen and the world’s fastest production car — the Ultimate Aero TT 2010 by Shelby SuperCars. The response to this year’s show, and the continued commitment of the global motoring industry even in these challenging times, makes the celebration of the show’s 10th anniversary even more meaningful, according to Helal Saeed Almarri, chief exeuctive officer of Dubai World Trade Centre. A number of exhibitors also marked milestone anniversaries at the show. BMW X5, the all-wheel drive five-door vehicle, marked 10 years on the road. To celebrate, BMW had created a Limited Edition model with only 2,000 units produced in the whole world, one of which is on the BMW stand at 
the show. While Lexus celebrated its 20th anniversary with a line-up of the very latest luxury models, including IS300C convertible, the RX350 and the luxury 4x4 crossover SUV, Mercedes-Benz G-Class celebrated 30 years with the G-Class Geländewagen 79 Special 
Edition model.