Dubai’s taste for luxury items has proved to be a magnet for retailers around the world, and the latest addition to the landscape is Italy’s Tonino Lamborghini.
The brand that manufactures eyewear and watches has introduced a smartphone for the tech-savvy crowd with money to spare. To be exact, it's for those with Dh14,750 to spare.
No, it’s not made of precious gems – it’s the materials and the hand-assembled labour that go into producing the Tonino Lamborghini Antares that send the price of this gadget soaring.
Available across 10 outlets in the city, including Mall of the Emirates, Atlantis The Palm and Burj Al Arab, the handset comes with a 13 megapixel camera and a high-definition glass display. While this model operates at 3G speeds, a new product with 4G is in the works.
Launched last month, the distributor, the Dubai-based DTK Computers has 2,000 of the luxury phones available for Arabian Gulf countries as well as Lebanon.
With components manufactured in Taiwan, the phone is designed and assembled in Italy – but that will change soon. The next generation phones will be made in Germany and are expected to be released in November.
“The latest research shows China, the United States and Gulf countries as important luxury markets,” says Gianluca Filippi, the company’s chief executive.
The company has also launched an online store for its products such as watches, eyewear and leather goods but not mobiles. It will also open its first flagship store in Dubai in December.
Tonino Lamborghini’s core business comprise luxury watches, eyewear, jewellery, leather goods and pens.
The brand, which is based in the Palazzo del Vignola, near Bologna, is not to be confused with the supercar marque owned by Volkswagen. Yes, Tonino Lamborghini is the son of Ferruccio Lamborghini, who founded the Automobili Lamborghini in 1963, but he went his own way in 1981.
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