On September 11th 2024, Honda Motor Co. (Middle East & Africa Office) hosted a special event at The Taj Exotica & Spa, at The Palm Dubai to celebrate its 30 successful years in the region. The Japanese carmaker invited select media representatives from the GCC and North Africa regions as a mark of gratitude. The Cornea Impression was invited for the same too. The brand further showcased its diverse product lineup at the event comprising not just automobile and motorcycle offerings but products in the marine and business segments as well. Honda also took advantage of the wider media to showcase the all-new BF350, incorporating Honda’s first V8 engine.

Mr Rajvinder Johal, General Manager, Honda Motor Co. (Middle East & Africa Office) spoke about Honda’s new Global Brand Slogan, evolving from “The Power of Dreams” to “Power of Dreams: HOW WE MOVE YOU” which encapsulates both physical mobility and emotional engagement. This was followed by a keynote speech by Mr Anup Ravindranath, Senior General Manager, Honda Motor Co. (Middle East & Africa Office) who spoke about the future roadmap of Honda in the region and teased the Honda ‘0’ series of electric vehicles showcased at CES earlier this year. He further emphasized on safety being regarded as top priority in Honda’s books with the goal of achieving zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles worldwide by 2050.

For the first time ever, Hot Wheels will bring its Monster Trucks Live Glow Party into Abu Dhabi where these larger-than-life trucks will put on an adrenaline-fueled car-crushing show under glow lights for the thrill-seeking fans. The Monster Trucks Love Glow Party will be hosted between November 8th to 10th at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Some of the global fan-favourite monster trucks such as slimy green sludge covered Gunkster, dino-inspired Mega Wrex, skull-brimmed black-out Boneshaker among others will feature at this Live Glow Party. Prices will start from AED 160 per person and interested enthusiasts can head on to www.LiveNation.me to book their tickets.

The Dubai Police elite fleet is known world over for boasting supercars such as Mclaren Artura and Lamborghini Urus Performante. But since 2023, the city and its authorities have adopted a more environment-conscious approach to mobility which propelled the addition of an all-electric ZEEKR 001 Shooting Brake premium vehicle in Dubai Police’s elite fleet. The ZEEKR 001 now gets adorned in Dubai Police’s iconic livery while delivering 544hp, a 3.8sec 0-100kph sprint time, 540km claimed range and 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

The official announcement was made by AW Rostamani Group (AWR), the official distributor of ZEEKR, with an official handover ceremony being held at the Dubai Police headquarters earlier this month. The event was graced by the presence of Brigadier Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, Acting Director of the General Directorate of Traffic, Ahmed Shehab, Regional Director of Product and Strategy of ZEEKR MENA and Roberto Colucci, Director of ZEEKR at AW Rostamani Group among other AWR and ZEEKR executives. Roberto Colucci, Director of ZEEKR at AW Rostamani Group, said: “Today marks a significant milestone as we proudly hand over the ZEEKR 001 to join the Dubai Police fleet. Partnering with Dubai Police, an institution recognized globally for its commitment to innovation and public safety, is a testament to our joint dedication in ensuring the safety and security of this city. This partnership also aligns perfectly with our shared vision for a more sustainable future, contributing to the UAE’s ambitious Net Zero goals. By integrating electric vehicles into its operations, Dubai Police is setting a powerful example of environmental responsibility. We are confident that the ZEEKR 001 will serve as a valuable tool in the Dubai Police’s unwavering mission, and we’re proud to be a part of this transformative journey towards a greener and safer Dubai.”

The last day of August 2024 saw Lotus Cars UAE celebrate Emirati Women’s Day in collaboration with Pirelli Middle East. The celebratory event was hosted at state-of-the-art P ZERO World facility in Dubai, UAE where the all-female visitor group, comprising customers and media personnel, were educated on both brands along with a perfume-making workshop as well as a simulator competition that allowed participants to experience the thrill of driving a Lotus. All attendees further had the opportunity to explore the design and luxury features of the new Lotus Eletre all-electric hyper-SUV along with the tyre technology developed by Pirelli for the electric hyper-SUV. Giuliano Menassi, Senior Vice President Region MEAI and Russia of Pirelli, commented: “Pirelli is honored to celebrate Emirati Woman’s Day, recognizing their achievements, contribution and inspiration. Supporting and empowering women, inspiring them to seize opportunities and harness their potential is embedded into our development vision and value creation, in terms of the economy and society. This conviction led us to set challenging goals in the industrial plan presented in March 2024 with specific targets addressing the gender pay gap and to increase the number of women in managerial positions.”

Lamborghini announces Bridgestone as its exclusive tyre partner for the all-new Lamborghini Temerario sports car. Bridgestone will equip custom-engineered Potenza Sport and Potenza Race tyres from its Potenza tyre line-up for the Temerario While the former Sport tyre provides a higher grip level, superior traction and extreme road driving comfort with a Run-Flat homologated version available, the latter Race tyre delivers excellent grip, enhanced handling and long-lasting performance for all track enthusiasts. The Potenza Race tyre boasts a bespoke compound developed for track usage for heightened grip.

This isn’t the first time where both brands are working together as Bridgestone has enjoyed being Lamborghini’s ‘Official Technical Partner’ in the past. It has supplied bespoke Bridgestone tyres as original equipment for the Italian carmaker’s high-performance sports cars such as the Lamborghini Huracán STO, Tecnica, Sterrato, Huracán EVO and even in the all-new V12 Hybrid HPEV Lamborghini Revuelto supercar. For the Temerario, Bridgestone will offer tyres available in eight dimensions across 20” and 21” sizes with the sports car’s launch slated for 2025.

“The summer months in the UAE witness high temperatures and humidity, which may ultimately have an impact on vehicles and cause discomfort to drivers – especially if parked outside.” says Harmeet Singh, Aftersales Director at Al Masaood Automobiles, the authorised distributor of Nissan, in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and other Western markets of the region. To counter the same, Mr Singh claims, “Nissan, in line with its commitment to leverage the latest technologies and intelligent mobility systems, is trialling with an innovative automotive paint that can address this issue. This latest technology will not only reduce the temperatures of exterior and interiors of vehicles, but it will also contribute to the reduction in use of fuels. While this new technology is still in the testing phase, it does have a promising potential.”

Nissan is developing a specialised automotive cooling part in collaboration with Radi-Cool, a specialist in radiative cooling products, to mitigate the heat across the car’s exterior surfaces like roof, bonnet and door panels. The paint incorporates metamaterials, better known as artificially engineered materials, that counteract the sun’s rays by dissipating the energy and redirecting it away from the vehicle and into the atmosphere. Nissan has already held a 12-month trial with the said paint formula and the reported outcome was positive. The cooling paint managed to procure a 12-degree Celsius reduction in exterior surface temperatures and up to a 5-degree Celsius decrease within the interiors, as compared to a traditionally painted vehicle.

“As the trial continues, it’s exciting to explore new technologies that can elevate our customers’ driving experiences. At Al Masaood Automobiles, we are always committed to seeking the latest solutions to our customers, thereby ensuring a delightful, convenient, and value-added ownership journey.” Singh concluded.

Skoda Middle East is having a favourable 2024 as it reports an increase of 10 per cent in overall sales from January to July compared to the same period last year. This performance further helped Skoda Auto register a 3.8 per cent increase in overall global sales in the first seven months of 2024 as the carmaker delivered 448,600 vehicles globally. Skoda Octavia led the sales chart with deliveries up by 24.1 per cent for the luxury sedan.

As part of its Next Level Strategy 2030, Skoda set an ambitious target to be among the top five best-selling brands on the European continent. By the first half of 2024, Skoda Auto already achieved the milestone of becoming the fourth best-selling brand in Europe, earmarking it as the brand’s highest-ever market position to date. Among European countries, the German market positively stood out for the brand with 91,100 successful vehicle deliveries – an increase of 13,800 units.

In the Middle Eastern region, Skoda’s SUV lineup has been gaining strong momentum. Skoda sold 789 units of the seven-seater Kodiaq SUV, up 28 per cent and 430 units of the Kushaq premium SUV, an increase of 30 per cent. Among the Middle Eastern countries, the UAE has been the brand’s largest market in the region. Lukas Honzak, Managing Director of Škoda Middle East, commented: “Our commitment to innovation and delivering value to our customers is evident in the strong results we’re seeing across the region. These achievements not only reinforce the solid foundations we are laying for future growth but also showcase the immense potential of the Škoda brand as we prepare to enter new markets. Together with our business partners, we are poised to drive significant expansion and elevate our presence across the Middle East.”