The Wildcat 300STR Rover off-road vehicle is displayed at last week's Big Boy Toys exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Each Wildcat is hand-built by Qt.
The Wildcat 300STR Rover off-road vehicle is displayed at last week's Big Boy Toys exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Each Wildcat is hand-built by Qt.

That car really suits you, sir



Forget tailor-made suits. Why not pick up a tailor-made car or a trendy dune buggy?

Affluent motorists in the Gulf are now going to extraordinary lengths to customise their vehicles - and boutique car makers aim to cash in on the craze.

This no longer means the occasional paint job and independent airconditioning controls for both driver and passengers.

One company, for example, uses special military-grade bolts to hold a dune-buggy's frame together.

Another slips a photo album into the glove compartment of its off-roaders to give drivers a keepsake that documents the construction of that particular model.

Some desert racers also sport an electric port in the rear to power a mini-fridge. After all, what driver, who is prepared to shell out upwards of £130,000 (Dh780,274) for a new model, wants to race through the sand holding a warm soft drink or soggy sandwich?

"There are some vehicles you wouldn't think are from this world," says Biju Jayaraaj, the chief executive of Artaaj, the events company behind last week's Big Boys Toys exhibition in Abu Dhabi, where some of these new cars and vehicles were on display.

This push to further personalise products comes at a time when growth in the broader luxury retail market is expected to slow to between 4 and 5 per cent this year, down from a 10 per cent increase last year.

While emerging countries are still leading the way in the €168 billion (Dh778.79bn) luxury market, the Middle East is entering a "new reality" where sales are projected to remain below the record levels seen prior to 2008, according to the consulting firm Bain & Company.

Part of the reason for the slowdown in such sales, reports Bain, is the flood of luxury goods. That is why more companies, including some vehicle manufacturers, are looking to stand out from their competitors with personalised models.

A luxury recreational vehicle from Dunkel Industries, for instance, features a rear end big enough to carry a full-sized off-roader, plus a pair of dune bikes. It took three years to design and develop and costs US$500,000 (Dh1.8 million).

Then there is the new Wildcat, an off-roader that debuted in the Gulf for the first time last week. Each model is hand-built in a workshop over 12 to 14 weeks.

This tough terrain vehicle also boasts amenities more commonly found in luxury saloons: Bluetooth connectivity, an iPod dock and a power port for a mini-fridge, as well as a leather interior and moulding finishes.

The total cost? From £65,000 to more than £130,000, depending on the specifications.

"Every client is able to [have a Wildcat] tailor-made to their own requirements," says Dave Marsh, the managing director of Qt, which manufactures the vehicle.

"Throughout the overall process, the clients are assigned one of our engineers, who deals with them personally with regular updates. It's a very personal service we offer."

But while companies are racing to customise vehicles, it is still unclear whether sales will take off.

Mr Marsh contends there is a market for vehicles such as the Wildcat, particularly from customers in surrounding countries such as Saudi Arabia. But while inquiries for Qt's latest vehicles have "certainly increased", other industry insiders are more cautious about this specialised market.

"If the economy turns around, people will start spending money," says John Lehmen of the US-based company Lehmen Race Cars Off-Road Engineering.

Mr Lehmen's company, which creates tailor-made, off-road recreational vehicles, entered the Gulf three years ago and has a maintenance shop in Dubai for customers.

So far, he has sold only six vehicles in the region, but business has still been good as his models cost from $140,000 to $500,000, and take up to two years to build after being designed with 3D software.

The costs, of course, are also high because the company uses high-quality materials that can be found in aircraft.

To illustrate the point, the military-grade bolts that the company fits into its vehicles cost $42 each compared with $1.50 for standard bolts in off-roading vehicles.

When he originally pushed into the Gulf, Mr Lehmen had plans to grow beyond Dubai, but any expansion has been put on hold for now.

"I think the market in the next two to three years will start getting better," he says.

Many within the industry say demand is already growing. Mr Jayaraaj says some boutique car makers were receiving calls from customers who were interested in buying certain new models before they were even shown to the public at last week's exhibition.

And Sijatec, a high-tech company based in Germany, chose Abu Dhabi as the place to premiere its LiveRacer.

"We think [the UAE] is the right place to be for this," says Vincent Gressieker, who heads international sales and communication for Sijatec.

INDIA V SOUTH AFRICA

First Test: October 2-6, at Visakhapatnam

Second Test: October 10-14, at Maharashtra

Third Test: October 19-23, at Ranchi

The Two Popes

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce 

Four out of five stars

‘White Elephant’

Director: Jesse V Johnson
Stars: Michael Rooker, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Olga Kurylenko
Rating: 3/5

The story of Edge

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.

It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.

Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.

Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab

 

ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

Match info

Uefa Champions League Group F

Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)

FIXTURES

All times UAE (+4 GMT)

Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)

Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)

Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)

Playing September 30

Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)

PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450+ employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

Why your domicile status is important

Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.

Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born. 

UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.

A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.

Company Profile

Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8

Company Profile 

Founder: Omar Onsi

Launched: 2018

Employees: 35

Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)

Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4