WE EXPECT THE GOOD TURNOUT TO CONTINUE TILL THE LAST DAY OF THE SHOW

The Abu Dhabi Motor Show was back again last month amid the promise of growth over last year, in a bid to take on its established counterpart in Dubai.

It was billed as a battle royale between two giants: two superpowers going head to head in a cold war of nuclear-sized ambitions and very, very deep pockets. It’s not the ultimate cage match between Superman and Batman, but rather the ongoing friendly feud between Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s auto scene.

Both cities have scored some good points recently, with a volley of tallest buildings and shopping centres pitched over enemy lines, only to be returned with a barrage of cultural tie-ins and media free zones. But in the battle for the best automotive show in the region it’s still 1-nil to Dubai.

Last month’s Abu Dhabi show was never going to be as big as the monumental Dubai show late last year, but with the recession starting to bite manufacturers hard, it wasn’t quite the event the organisers had originally planned.

With Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche BMW and Bentley missing from the show, the German group seems to have been making a statement on the huge dollars required to attend shows these days. Car manufacturers spend small fortunes on exhibition stands each year and the Abu Dhabi show seems to have been a step too far for some. There was also a number of bike manufacturers missing, most notably Harley Davidson and KTM, who missed out on the chance to show off the X-Bow for the second time to the region. The big question seems to have been whether to risk missing out on the chance to show off in the capital, while hoping the Dubai show can continue to attract buyers from up the long E11 highway.

The show also got off to a bad start when the police turned up half an hour into the press day and kicked everyone out of the building to perform a security sweep. They couldn’t have had very big brushes as the press, exhibitors and organisers were left standing around in the sun for nearly an hour before being allowed back into the duly swept building. With its upstart little brother of a city doing things a little slicker, the capital needs to get somewhat better organised before their motor show gets taken really seriously.

With a drastically shortened press day complete, the public then descended on the show. With two days still to run, the show had recorded a total of 28,000 visitors in the first three days. That’s not bad for a show without a track record. Especially when you take into account that it’s only open from 4pm to 10pm each day.

“We received an overwhelming response to the motor show with 15,000 visitors alone on the third day,” said Ara Fernezian, group exhibition director for Reed Exhibitions. “The show proved to be very popular not only to auto enthusiasts but also to the general public. We expect the good turnout to continue till the last day of the show.”

Over the five days, the show saw a few sheets pulled off some interesting cars. The most notable unveilings were the first view of the Hyundai Genesis Coupé; a car the Koreans will have high hopes for across the region. There was also a first look for Middle Eastern buyers at the new LP560-4 Spyder, which follows hard on the heels of the fixed-roof version launched earlier this year, meanwhile GM showed off the funky new Camaro. 

Cadillac also unveiled the completely bonkers CTSV, another car GM will be looking to give them a boost in the New Year’s sales charts. Jaguar had also been busy sprucing up both the XJR and XKR.

The XJ has been added to the upgraded Portfolio range, whilst the stunning XK also gets a makeover, giving even more legs to this seemingly un-aging supercar. Despite the lack of some of the major manufacturers at the show, there was plenty for serious car lovers to drool over. Add to that some incredible looking desert buggies, more than a few superbikes and some rather odd looking accessories, and there really was something for everyone in the Abu Dhabi exhibition centre. 

Overall, the show (once it managed to get started) was pretty good. It looked professional, had some good content considering the current global economic meltdown and seemed to be attracting Abu Dhabi’s car buyers in their droves. The show didn’t even come close to the Dubai show, but the good news for the capital is that Dubai grew from a show similar in size to Abu Dhabi in just a few short years, so the future may be bright for the new kid on the block.

Last year’s Dubai motor show may have been one of the best of the major car shows of the year, but the show was previously substantially smaller. Its growth has been based on the favourable economic conditions of recent times; no doubt it will be affected this year. Interest in the region has never been busier and with car sales seemingly unaffected by the credit crunch, it can only get bigger.

The big question is whether there’s room for a second car show in the UAE? So far the industry and the UAE’s car lovers don’t really have an answer to that particular conundrum.