Over 6,000 visitors flock to Qatar Motor Show on opening day

H.E. Yousef Kamal, the Minister of Finance of the State of Qatar, inaugurated the First International Edition of the Qatar Motor Show at the Doha Exhibitions Center yesterday. He was accompanied by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani. The opening ceremony was also attended by Mr. Ahmed Al Nuaimi, the Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority, H.E. Sheikh Alhussain Bin Ali Bin Ahmed Al Thani, CEO of q.media, and the Ambassadors of Iran, Cuba, Morocco, Dominican Republic, Tunisia, Italy and the United Kingdom.

The opening events have shown that the Qatar Motor Show will be more than just a car show, as thousands of car lovers and automotive enthusiasts came to mark the opening of this first-of-its-kind event in the region.   The day began with the 1^st Middle East Automotive Summit, which brought together global industry leaders in Qatar to discuss and debate the future of mobility and the transformation of the automotive industry with a focus on intelligent transport systems, urban infrastructure planning, meeting mobility demands and evolvement in the future and what it means to the Middle East.

The opening of the inaugural Qatar Motor Show in the evening was a highly anticipated event.  The minute one steps into the Fist Edition of the Qatar Motor Show, you can’t help but admire the uniqueness of this show, which is showcasing the fastest, the sharpest, the priciest, the shiniest and the most exclusive car and SUV models.

Many senior executives and management from the auto manufacturers’ headquarters attended the opening day’s events, and were proud to introduce their new models to the show’s visitors.  The Qatar Motor Show featured a number of new launches as well as regional premiers and world premiers including the world debuts of the Volkswagen XL1 prototype, the Race Touareg 3 Qatar and Touareg Gold Edition.  Other exciting reveals and regional launches included the new Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale, the new MINI Countryman, SUV SKODA Yeti 4x4, the Audi A6, Audi A7, Audi R8 GT, A8 W12, the Audi concept car e-tron Spyder, an exclusive Porsche Panamera 4S Middle East Edition, Porsche 918 RSR, the Mercedes G55 Arabia Edition and the new Bentley Continental GT.  Ford gave customers a preview of the new 2011 Ford Edge, the new award-winning Ford Taurus, the Lincoln MKX and the Mustang.  Also on show were the Honda Civic Type R, Volvo S60, 2011 Persona by Proton and the Veryca Freezervan by CMC.  Also being showcased were the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, Chevrolet Captiva, GMC Terrain, GMC Acadia Denali, Cadillac XTS. In addition, Virgin Mobile announced an exciting event where a Jeep V6 will be receiving a makeover by the well known MV Designz team over the 4 days of the show, to be given away.

Other important events included an announcement from Diamond Sponsor Barwa, who unveiled plans for a  new project called Baraha Motor City, which will provide a one–stop location for all automotive service needs from purchasing a vehicle to maintenance to insurance.

“The show is impressive,” said John Walsh, visiting from Australia and who is in Doha for the Asian Football Cup.  “I am a motorsports lover, so this exhibition is great for me.  I’m surprised at how many new cars have been revealed and am especially excited with all of the activities taking place.  I hope to get to test drive one of the SUV’s!”

In addition to the indoor activities with the new car reveals, simulators, Grand Turismo 5 PS3, exhibitor contests and giveaways, excitement was at a high on the outdoor tracks as well. 

Thousands of visitors were entertained during the outdoor show with professional rally driver Abdo Feghali  demonstrating his drifting skills, as well as observing the perfectly choreographed daredevil stunts performed by well known freestyle motocross riders including Red Bull athletes Nick Franklin and Frederick Berggren.

“To be honest I am a more than impressed with the outdoor activities that are taking place at the outdoor section of the exhibition, and with how the well-organized is the exhibition,” said Mark visiting from Lebanon. “The performances and entertainment are done by well known professionals, so it is more than self satisfactory personal experience for me as an adventure-lover.” The outdoor show schedule can be found on the official website www.qatarmotorshow.gov.qa.

Over 55 exhibitors featuring more than 135 cars will participate in the four-day show, which was fully booked six months prior to the opening of the exhibition and which covers the entire 15,000 square meters indoor space of the Doha Exhibitions Center. 

The Qatar Motor Show, organized by Qatar Tourism Authority in partnership with q.media events and GL Events will run until January 29, and promises to be a unique and refined experience.   The show is open to the public, and entry is free.

For more information about the Qatar Motor Show, its program and the timings, please visit www.qatarmotorshow.gov.qa.