Electric cars were the showstoppers at the 15th edition of the Dubai International Motor Show

Supercars on the go

Sudeep Koshy

Automotive Shows are like festivals. They give car buffs a reason to rejoice in the glimpse of their elusive dream, stay awestruck in the face of a futuristic vision or simply do some window-shopping across brands in a small fraction of the time that would otherwise take them. It is also, in some ways, like the premier fashion shows that often showcase the designer’s skill to stun, rather than expressly suggest what could one wear to the next kitty party. Motor Shows are made rich by the last kind and despite being smaller in scale, considering how grand an affair it has always been, there is still enough of those showstoppers and trendsetters at the 15th edition of the Dubai International Motor Show. Here is half a dozen. The show concludes on Saturday, the 16th of November.

The UAE, like India, is among the regions aiming to see emphatic electric changes in the automotive map of the next decade. Unsurprisingly, signs of these are obvious in the DIMS 2019. Mercedes-Benz has chosen the stage to reveal their first ever purely electric model to the region, which is destined to reach the Indian shores in July 2020. The Mitsubishi stall introduced the first Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) among SUVs, while Chevrolet proudly featured the Bolt EV yet again, this time with an improved driving range of 565 km, a 45 km addition to what Chevrolet so far claimed. It is indeed refreshing to see that improvements and introductions are happening side by side in an industry that is still struggling to extend a warm and reassuring handshake with its enthusiasts in emerging economies. On the stellar side of the spectrum, the Dubai show unveiled the production version of the Aspark Owl, the fastest hypercar ever, which happens to be all-electric while another celebrated presence is that of the Jaguar I-Pace, which has won the titles of Green Car of The Year and World Car of the Year.

Dubai being one of the top 5 trending supercar destinations (according to an Instagram-based study) it isn’t surprising to see expansive real estate at the motor show dedicated to supercars. The supercar alley and nostalgia corner is just two of the places where the icons from different eras are being celebrated at the show. The brand stalls also offer their share of supercar thrill with the likes of the newly launched F8 Tributo, the new heir to Ferrari’s V8 legacy, and the brand new Corvette, in its brand new mid-engined format. Not surprisingly, this mecca of supercars is where the Vette is first made available outside of its parent market. Loved no less than any supercar, the Land Rover Defender – ‘the last automotive icon’ as they call it – is certainly a highlight of the show, since it just made its comeback in September.

Mercedes EQC

Standing aloof and looking stunning in the Mercedes stall is the new EQC, the first of 10 all-electric models to be launched within a span of three to four years. The EQC is a midsize SUV with a range of almost 470 km according to Mercedes-Benz and can reach 80 per cent charge in just 40 minutes. Daimler believes the future is Electric and Intelligent and that is exactly what the new Mercedes-Benz EQ product brand stands for. So, the new EQC can intelligently make use of the charge available by preconditioning the car for optimum output, using the data shared with the navigation – in other words, depending on what’s coming up ahead, a hill or highway. There is no dearth of excitement with a 0 – 100 kmph time of 5.1 seconds, though the speed is locked at 180 kmph instead of the familiar 250 kmph. After all, at the heart of EV driving is conservation.

While Mercedes-Benz has already introduced to the region what the industry calls ‘mild hybrids’ – vehicles fitted with a small 48-volt battery – this is the first time the German automotive pioneer has forayed into the all-electric realm. The idea is have a complete portfolio of models in the EQ range similar to that of the ICE models. So, are the fossil-fuelled cars to gradually vanish as the EQ models keep appearing? Daimler doesn’t think so. Favouring a co-existence of technologies, they are investing heavily in developing their internal combustion technology, just as they are in electric technology as well as alternatives like fuel cells, a source confirmed.

Aspark Owl

Titan the happy giant robot seemed to go bonkers in the stall where Aspark unveiled Owl, the fastest all-electric hypercar. As it unveiled the figures, the media crowd thronging the car in wraps also seemed to go bonkers – 0 to 60 mph (96kmph) in 1.69 seconds with a top speed of 400 kmph! The robot explained that the car could go faster but it is locked at this figure for safety reasons! Well, we believe you Titan. A car that has more than its weight in horses can do awesome things – the Owl weighs close to 1900 kg and generates the equivalent of 2012 hp from its electric motors. If you think all this is good for just a lightning quick sprint, the EV range of the Aspark Owl is an inspiring 450 km!

Announced in Frankfurt in 2017, this is the first public appearance of the production model of the Aspark Owl, set for handover next April. Only 50 examples of the exclusive car will be made. Amidst all the crazy figures, I had only one question for Masanori Yashida, the CEO of Aspark – “Why owl?” While supercars is usually just plain quiet, this car is so fast, it squeaks like the owl, or so it seems. Or may be it is the active rear wing that, when deployed, makes the speeding car look like a bird of prey. So the Owl it is. Anyway, the name has to be equally bonkers!

Mitsubishi PHEV – first ever Plug-in Hybrid Crossover

On the very practical side where electric meets fossil fuels, Mitsubishi has just introduced the Outlander PHEV, giving the region its first Plug-In Hybrid SUV. This is also the first hybrid model Mitsubishi has set apart for the Indian market. Driven by a 2.4L 4-cylinder engine and a 300 V Lithium ion battery, the vehicle has an output equivalent of 224 hp and can also charge its battery even as it is driven, apart from being able to reach full capacity with 5 and a half hours of regular charging, and up to eighty percent in just 25 minutes of quick charging.

BMW Meteor – Night Sky

If a car born from the cooperation of the earth and the sky could be called a ‘hybrid’, this version of the new BMW 8-series is one. The BMW Individual M850i xDrive Coupe Night Sky is a one-off version that features controls made from meteoritic material and extra-terrestrial surface patterns. It even reflects on its central console, the way the constellations looked when spectacular meteoric showers illuminated the night sky at the beginning of this year.