Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, looked relaxed in Dubai. Despite the recession, he has proudly unveiled the Rapide, the car maker's four-door sports car, and the One-77, a limited edition supercar. "The Rapide is a new definition of a car," he says. "We are looking to sell 2,000 globally [next year], around 150 to 200 cars in the Middle East." People want sports car style with four-door practicality, says Bez.
"The One-77 will start production next year," Bez says of Aston Martin's other big Dubai launch, and he is confident that all 77 cars will be sold. "We have sold 50 of them and we have 50 other hot prospects," he says. "Fifteen out of the 50 have been sold in the Middle East. The car has to deliver the same prestige inside and outside, front and back," Bez says of the car's striking exterior and high-concept interior.
"2007 was our best year," says Bez of the year when 7,000 Aston Martins were sold worldwide. With sales around the 5,000-unit mark in 2009 and projections of 6,000-7,000 sales in 2010, the company is ambitious. However, Bez says that improved showrooms in the UAE and other Gulf nations will increase sales over the coming years. "In 2000, we sold 10 cars in the Middle East, in 2009 we sold 200, in 2010, we expect to sell 300-400 cars but we need better car dealership representation," he says.
Kuwait's Dar and Adeem Investment Company bought Aston Martin in 2007 and since then, Bez says Kuwait has outperformed other Middle Eastern markets with its "benchmark dealership." "We need proper representation in Dubai and Abu Dhabi," he says and hopes to achieve something similar to the elegantly minimalist Paris dealership near the Champs Elysee. "This would be our desire for Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we are in negotiations [for new dealerships]."
When asked about Aston Martin's plans for producing environmentally friendly cars, Bez's response is different to the usual line taken by manufacturers about low or zer-emissions cars. "I am green since I can remember," he declares, before going on to explain that his house is built from renewable materials and he doesn't let his car idle when it is stopped at traffic lights. He then told The National about the renewable materials that have been used to build the Aston Martin design studio before finally referring to the cars.
"We have the Cygnet, it has a one-litre engine, you can sit in it in style and it has the lowest fuel consumption [of all Aston Martins]," he says and scoffs at the suggestion of Aston Martin producing electric sports cars. "This is an honest solution - if you are going to go green, you have to be honest about it." glewis@thenational.ae
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Result
Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2
Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.
Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.
The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.
