Rolls-Royce drives on in plan to open more outlets



Rolls-Royce has little concern that the global economic crisis will hurt the pockets of its growing ultra-wealthy customer base outside Europe.

The luxury car brand owned by BMW plans to increase outlets by 14 per cent within five years, it said yesterday.

The car maker, based in Britain, targets expanding the number of dealers to 120 from 105 to reach millionaires in markets such as Chile, Thailand and Vietnam.

Unfazed by Europe's debt crisis, Rolls-Royce expects the updated version of its US$380,000 (Dh1.4 million) Phantom saloon will help it reach a second consecutive sales record this year after delivering 3,538 cars last year.

"I am very confident that we'll sell at least one more this year," said Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, the chief executive of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

Rolls-Royce, which also makes the $246,500 Ghost and competes with Volkswagen's Bentley, is counting on growing wealth in Asia and South America to fuel demand as the debt crisis dents sentiment among Europe's rich.

The number of households with more than $5m in assets is set to grow by 3 to 5 per cent annually in the coming years, creating new potential customers for the brand, Mr Mueller-Oetvoes said.

"Of course, we feel that the mood isn't the best in certain markets, but we're able to compensate" with growth in places such as Russia, the Middle East and China, he said. "Our goal is to grow sustainably and not chase volume. Rolls-Royce will remain exceptional."

The brand's deliveries dropped 14 per cent to 726 cars in the third quarter, burdened by the changeover to the Phantom Series II in September. Through the first nine months of this year, sales were down 4.7 per cent to 2,326 vehicles.

After updating the Phantom this year, Rolls-Royce plans to extend its lineup with a new model variant next year to broaden the brand's appeal, Mr Mueller-Oetvoes said, declining to provide details.

"If you look at Rolls-Royce and Bentley, they continue to add variants that will bring in new customers, and China should help support the segment," even if developed markets slump, said George Galliers, an analyst with Credit Suisse in London.

To target the growing numbers of Chinese buyers, Rolls-Royce created a $1.2m Year of the Dragon Phantom model for China this year. The special edition features a gold dragon hand-painted on the side of each wheelbase, the mythical creature embroidered on headrests, and hand-stitched cushions for rear passengers. The version was sold out within two months.

At the other end of the market, Hyundai, South Korea's biggest car maker, plans to increase production in China by 40 per cent in three years and add higher-end models as it seeks to gain market share in the world's largest market.

Beijing Hyundai Motor, its passenger-car venture with Beijing Automotive Group, will boost production to 1.4 million units by 2015 and double the ratio of mid- to high-end products to more than 50 per cent during the period, the company said yesterday.

Passenger-vehicle sales in the nation will expand by an average 8 per cent a year to reach 22 million units in 2020, driven by demand for sport-utility vehicles and rising incomes in smaller cities, according to McKinsey & Co.

The maker of the Elantra saloon and Santa Fe sport-utility vehicle increased China sales 11 per cent to 676,746 units in the first 10 months of this year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, putting it on pace to exceed the 739,800 units sold last year.

The car maker, which currently operates three factories in the country with a total capacity of 1 million units, produced its 4-millionth car on Monday, it said.

In Japan, Takanobu Ito, the Honda chief executive, wants to boost the car maker's exports from the United States to counterbalance the effects of the strong yen, he said on Monday.

"Our US plants export just 6 to 7 per cent of production. But they should be able to do more than that," Mr Ito told The Wall Street Journal.

"If there's enough demand from other regions for larger vehicles, then closer to 20 per cent is conceivable," he added.

Last year, Honda exported 55,000 vehicles from North America.

* compiled from Bloomberg News and AFP

$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.  

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

'Midnights'
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE

UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.

Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.

For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.

Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.

At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.

Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)

Arctic Monkeys

Tranquillity Base Hotel Casino (Domino) 

 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Results

Stage 7:

1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29

2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time

3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious

4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep

5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM

General Classification:

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35

3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Mia Man’s tips for fermentation

- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press 

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Company%20Profile
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