'Made in the Emirates' tagline comes to the fore as Brabus, Shaali Motorsport, Devel and Dubai Police's Smart Police Station wow crowds at region's leading automotive event

Dubai, UAE – While a who’s who of global automotive industry giants battle for bragging rights and attention at this year’s Dubai International Motor Show, an assortment of UAE-based auto leaders are shining the spotlight on the Emirates’ increasingly world-class capabilities in the global motoring arena.

As international manufacturers from the USA to Japan, and everywhere in between, showcase their latest models and upgrades, a diverse contingent of UAE-based firms - comprising bespoke manufacturers and customisers, hypercar builders, race-car producers and smart initiative visionaries - are flying the flag in front of an estimated 100,000 visitors flocking to the five-day motoring extravaganza at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Among the UAE participants is Brabus, a high-performance car manufacturing and tuning company which specialises in Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach vehicles. While technically a German company established in 1977, Brabus is participating at the Middle East’s premier automotive event to promote the bespoke manufacturing and customisation services offered by its Dubai operations, which include a 4,000-square foot showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road and a 30,000-square foot workshop catering for all matters of upholstery, retro-fitting engines, body kits, painting, parts and, of course, sales.

“As an international company with local operations, we’re not only selling in the UAE, we are contributing to the domestic economy via our build and assembly capacity in Dubai,” said UAE national Ahmed Zakaria, Partner of Brabus Middle East. “We offer the same world-class Brabus expertise as our core facilities in Germany, just on a smaller scale. Since establishing in Dubai in 2010, we have proved that Middle East customers do not have to go to Germany, Europe or elsewhere for bespoke vehicles. Every car produced by Brabus – whether in our five factories in Germany or the UAE – is completely unique to the customers’ preferences and tastes.”

The ultra-bespoke Brabus business model covers both modern vehicles and classics, and the company’s Dubai International Motor Show stand in Sheikh Saeed Hall 3 boasts an array of exclusive and exotic vehicles, from a heavily-modified and uber-luxurious Mercedes-Benz G-900 - one of only 10 in the world - to an iconic Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, widely considered to be the world’s first supercar.

“The 300SL Gullwing is a living embodiment of Brabus’ bespoke classic proposition,” added Zakaria. “During a 24-month restoration delivered by our Brabus team, every part, panel and item in the car - including under-the-hood stickers on engine parts - was either replaced, re-made, re-polished or re-painted. The result is complete customisation and a true one-off.”

As it marks its 40th anniversary this year, the Brabus production line is churning out far more than limited edition SUVs and exclusive classics: “We have a Brabus Ultimate 125 City Sportscar here this week and it’s proven very popular,” said Zakaria. “We’re also committed to working on developing electric vehicles but the process will be gradual; Brabus evolves with time and we’re happy with that. The company continues to grow year-on-year both internationally, in the UAE and across the wider Middle East region. There is a strong demand for our style of premium bespoke vehicles and we’re having another very successful Dubai International Motor Show.”

On the sport side, Shaali Motorsport debuted the first UAE-made sportscar, the Shaali N360. Aimed primarily at the track-day enthusiasts but designed to be road-legal, the N360 is constructed from a chromoly steel chassis, with an aluminium passenger tub. The panels are produced in the UAE from a design penned by a French car designer and licensed to Shaali Motorsport.

At the extreme end of the new vehicles being debuted to the world in Dubai, UAE-based Devel unveiled the production version of its stunning Sixteen, the first car in the world to produce an astounding 5,000 brake horsepower, five times more power than the world’s most powerful hypercars. Although not yet road ready, the Sixteen has proven a big hit for selfies at Devel’s stand in Sheikh Saeed Hall 2.

And it isn’t only homegrown auto manufacturers turning heads at the show. Designed for use by people who are uncomfortable with traditional police stations, Dubai Police’s forward-thinking ‘Smart Police Station’ is an unmanned station conceived to deal with a wide array of issues in a more private and personal service via video links to trained, multilingual officers.

Aiming to encourage more people to report crime and increase the emirate’s already exemplary levels of security, the Smart Police Station allows drivers to report traffic incidents, pay fines and even teaches visitors about safe driving. The Smart Station also offers virtual tours of Dubai Police’s history, which dates back more than six decades.

The 2017 Dubai International Motor Show is open from 11am to 11pm on 17 November; and from 11am to 10pm on 18 November, tickets are available for AED 65, for an Adult single day entry, on-site or on the event website. VIP tickets cost AED 250 for single-day entry. Other packages include: Two Day Adult Pass at AED100 online; Single Day Child (12 – 18 year) Pass at AED30 online; Government Employee Single Day Adult Pass at AED45 online; Family Package Single Day Pass at AED50 for Adults and AED25 for Children – there must be a minimum two adults and two children; Group Package Single Day Pass at AED50 for Adults and AED25 for Children – there must be a minimum of four adults and two children.

The 2017 Dubai International Motor Show ends on Saturday 18 November.

For more information visit the show’s website at: www.dubaimotorshow.com  

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© Press Release 2017