Motor manufacturer SAIC is unveiling an ultra-modern concept vehicle at the China Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The new creation, referred to as the Kun, demonstrates “the powerful, innovative, and state-of-the-art technology that is currently being developed and manufactured” in the country, according to the carmaker.
LIVE BLOG: Updates and live coverage from Expo 2020 Dubai
The vision has been jointly created by design teams in Shanghai and London, and it features bio-intelligent interaction, photosynthetic energy, zero gravity seats, holographic image interaction, and advanced autonomous driving technologies. And, if the photos are any indication, SAIC envisages a vehicle that can fly and go underwater as well.
Tom Lee, managing director of SAIC Motor Middle East, said the Kun concept car is a reflection of the manufacturer’s history combined with its goals for the future.
“The car not only spearheads SAIC’s vision of smart mobility, but it also emphasises our objective to establish a shared future centred around green mobility, smart life and premium technology,” he said.
“We in the Middle East are extremely proud of SAIC’s strategic presence at the China Pavilion during Expo 2020 Dubai, and we are looking forward to sharing our concept car KUN with all our visitors.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see China's pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
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There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
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“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
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Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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