A bigger and better International Motor Show Abu Dhabi hits the capital

We preview the second International Motor Show Abu Dhabi, which also incorporates Custom Show Emirates and the Middle East Car of the Year awards.

Some of the cars on display at last year’s Abu Dhabi International Motor Show and Custom Show Emirates. Courtesy Custom Events

While Dubai has the international reputation for its insatiable love for cars, with its biennial International Motor Show long established on the UAE calendar, Abu Dhabi's buying power is on a similar level. And next weekend's second International Motor Show Abu Dhabi is set to further cement that status, bringing together a raft of international marques at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from March 30 to April 1.

The show is actually a triple-header, combined with the third annual Custom Show Emirates, which showcases top car- and motorbike-modification brands from across the globe, and the fourth edition of the Middle East Car of the Year awards, which will announce its 2017 winners on the first day of the show.

While the Dubai show is all about glitz, glamour and the latest reveals, the Abu Dhabi show is more customer-focused, explains Roman Gavrilin, chief operating officer of Custom Events, the company behind all three arms of the weekend.

“With the first edition [of the show, last year], we realised that there is an opportunity for a normal car event,” he says. “We decided to grab it and hopefully do it slightly different from traditional car shows. We decided to focus more on the sales side.

“Now, when the market is quite tough, car manufacturers are looking for opportunities that can bring them sales. Customers coming to the show have an opportunity to get vehicles with some benefits. It might be special packages that are valid for three days, special prices or additional services.

“This time of year is perfect for those who want to consider buying the previous-year vehicles or new models. Dealers have vehicles from last year and can give some special prices. At the same time, most of the new models reach our region at the beginning of the year. ”

Numerous Abu Dhabi dealerships will exhibit at the motor show, representing the likes of Nissan, Infiniti, Renault, Peugeot, Subaru, GMC, Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Morgan and Lotus. Subaru and GMC are promising regional launches, although were yet to confirm which models at time of writing.

Custom Show Emirates, meanwhile, will welcome more companies than ever this year.

“We have cooperation with [annual Las Vegas show] Sema, which is the biggest in the world dedicated to the car-modification industry,” Gavrilin says. “We have a US pavilion with 40 companies, a Japanese pavilion this year, and good participation of Australian and European companies.

“We want to reach the point where it will be acknowledged by the entire industry in the UAE and on a regional level. It will take some time. Step by step, we’re building it up. Every year we grow, in numbers of companies, visitor, sponsors and exhibition space, approximately 30 to 40 per cent.”

Gavrilin hopes that growth will also extend to visitor numbers – after about 24,000 attended last year’s event, he projects a 20 to 25 per cent rise this year.

“Compared to European shows, we’re still very low [in visitor numbers]. We have a long-term vision. We know that it will take time, because you can only do something new once a year.”

Gavrilin doesn’t see the Dubai show as a direct rival to his ambitions, however, and thinks that there’s plenty of room for both.

“Dubai is an A-grade fancy show,” he says. “Their stands are like castles. We are trying to focus more on creating a platform to help companies sell their vehicles, working with dealers. It’s a little bit of a different concept. But in our market, talking about the audience that can afford vehicles, we’re quite big. We want there to be more events.”

The International Motor Show Abu Dhabi, incorporating Custom Show Emirates and the Middle East Car of the Year awards, runs from March 30 to April 1 at Adnec; 10am to 10pm (except March 31, 3pm to 10pm); admission Dh50. For more information, visit www.adimotorshow.com.

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