Over the years, I have attended many motor shows across the world and have been coming to the conclusion that such events are obsolete in this digital age. Thankfully, the 2019 Dubai International Motor Show, which runs from November 12-November 16 at the Dubai World Trade Center, proved me wrong. As a first time attendee of the event, I was thrilled to see that Dubai—a unique market which has the highest proportion of luxury cars sold to total car volume—had something new and different on offer. Indeed, and surprisingly so, the highlight was not the indulgent gas guzzlers popularly associated with the region but premium electric vehicles (EVs).
As I walked around, I noticed two common themes linking every major OEM announcement. In essence, these were that the future of the region would be Electric and Connected, with Autonomous likely to make inroads closer to 2021-2022.
Leading the Electric Charge
Leading OEMs—Daimler with the EQC, BMW with the i3, Jaguar with the iPace, GM with the Chevy Volt, and Mitsubishi with the PHEV Outlander—declared that they would launch new or next generation model electric cars in the region in 2020.
Mitsubishi is poised to be the quickest off the blocks with the PHEV Outlander, with plans to launch first in UAE followed by KSA. These will be the two main markets for the Outlander. The Mitsubishi Outlander has been hugely successful in Europe, riding on the benefits of being electric but without the range anxiety of full EVs.
Meanwhile, Daimler’s CEO Thomas Klein predicted a 35% growth in EV sales in the region, while highlighting the Daimler Group’s $10 billion investment into expanding its EV range globally with the all new EQ electric brand. The new EQC showcased at the Dubai Motor Show has a 471km range and is set to be launched in the second half of 2020. This will be followed by the eQA and eQB, along with the showstopper EQS which will be the equivalent of the new S class. The company plans to launch 10 new EQA models by 2023, with Klein promising to make every model available in the region. This is a forward looking, aggressive strategy that could yield massive dividends. Daimler will be looking to the key markets of UAE, Jordon and Lebanon which offer more attractive incentives. By 2025, expect EVs to constitute 10% of Daimler’s car sales in the region and 25% of its sales worldwide.
The all new EQC
JLR was also on top of the electric car stakes. Top billing was to the iPace, one of the best sellers in the U.K. and the model that is driving JLR’s shift from gas guzzling to energy efficient vehicles. The car is already on sale in Jordon, Lebanon, Palestine and Morocco and is expected to have a simultaneous launch across the GCC countries in the second half of 2020. JLR sees the iPace as a game changer for its brand, given that it has scooped up some prestigious awards.
GM’s President John Roth set out the brand’s vision in terms of how it would tackle the three ‘evils’ of the car industry – air pollution, congestion and road fatalities. He reinforced the company’s commitment to zero emissions, zero congestion and zero crashes with the roll out of the next generation Chevy Volt and its Onstar connected car platform. The all-electric 2020 Volt will have an extended range of 560 km, 45 km more than the previous generation and definitely the vehicle with highest EV full charge range in the region.
GM is also set to launch its Onstar connected car platform in the region in the second half of 2020, with the spotlight being on features that “protect and connect” passengers. Onstar is the most successful connected car platform in the world and it is interesting that GM is finally bringing it to the region and will build it as a standard feature across all brands and models next year.
GM is also very bullish about its new vehicle architectures that will build electric, connectivity and autonomous on the new technology stack. This will, indeed, be a game changer as it is difficult to develop next generation vehicle features—like software over-the-air-updates and Level 4 autonomy—without changing the layout and structure of cars.
Pushing The Agenda On Consumer Acceptance
Interestingly, most OEMs like GM and Daimler now have dedicated teams in the region who focus on bringing connected, autonomous, electric and shared mobility solutions to the market. This is a nod to a future that will increasingly be defined by these technologically-driven transformations.
Daimler promoted the upcoming launch of its Connect Me in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other regions. This will feature vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. It is also gung-ho about introducing a Level 3 S class in early 2021 in the region, within a few months of launch in Europe, followed by Level 4 autonomy in 3 to 5 years. Daimler also exhibited its eagerness to do a full testing of autonomously driven cars in Dubai in future, with discussions already underway with the Dubai government.
Later this month will see the second edition of the 2019 Saudi Ad Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh, KSA. The event will see 24 Formula E cars from 12 teams rev up for the race and mark the debut of Mercedes and Porsche. While it promises to showcase the prowess of participating automotive majors in e-technology, it’s also seen as an important opportunity to boost customer acceptance of EVs. Embedded here is the fascinating story of how Saudi Arabia, a kingdom whose fortunes were built on its oil fields, is beginning to have conversations on going electric.
Lackluster and Otherworldly Experiences
Since we are talking electric cars, there’s no escaping a discussion about the Chinese electric car brands. Yes, they were there at the show but that’s about it. Over the years, we have seen Chinese companies capture market share in the region. Notably though, the Chinese brands—which sell about 50% of all electric cars, globally—appeared lackluster in their efforts to see and be seen. Neither was any clear regional strategy in evidence, nor even any impressive model launch plan, something that has become almost de rigueur for ambitious automotive companies wishing to make some noise in the market.
Amidst the buzz and bustle, the highlight for me was BMW’s Night Sky concept vehicle. It was literally an otherworldly experience since the vehicle featured materials from outer space. The company claims that meteoroids were mined to build its special interior features. A truly earth shattering experience for me!
We had Elon Musk launching a Tesla up into space, and now we have BMW bringing space down to earth. No wonder I’m holding off my next car purchase till I hit the Dubai International Motor Show 2020.
