GIMS Qatar: Oldies, hypercars and a world premiere 🎥
WHERE YOU MEET Car shows have a hard time these days - at least in Europe, where the events have to defend themselves against the anti-automotive zeitgeist and therefore mutate into mobility congresses.
In the desert, however, all is still right with the world, and so the first edition of the "Geneva International Motorshow Qatar" is also what automotive trade shows are supposed to be: A showcase for the industry. The first show in the emirate on the Arabian Gulf is manageable, but nevertheless shows a trend: Of the 30 manufacturers, five are from China, which occupies the largest areas here. Electric models are on all the stands, but in fact traditional combustion engine technology dominates the show. After all, the charging infrastructure in the region is nowhere near ready for e-mobiles to play a significant role.
No trace of fast charger
This was also the experience of Frank M. Rinderknecht (center gallery), who drove with his team and two all-electric Volkswagen ID.Buzz from Geneva to Doha, the capital of Qatar, to symbolically link the two trade fair cities.
Frank M. Rinderknecht: "Before the tour, we were told that there are 350 fast chargers in Saudi Arabia. We didn't find a single one, but thanks to our Egyptian fixer, we fought our way through and ended up being the first to cross the kingdom in an e-mobile. The trip took 34 days and was a lot of fun, even if it was definitely exhausting."
Increase in electromobility
Sandro Mesquita, head of the traditional Geneva Auto Show, which is scheduled to return next year, had proposed a project to Rinderknecht to organize a kind of relay race between Geneva and Doha: "For us, then, the only option for the Tour d'Excellence was a ride in an electric vehicle."
Rinderknecht was on the road a little too early, because by 2030 the Qatar government plans to increase electromobility and expand the charging infrastructure at the same time.
Affluent target group
The Qatari organizers have identified above all an affluent to super-rich target group for their trade show. After all, the region is the world's fastest-growing market for luxury automobiles, having overtaken the traditional markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia. This also explains the somewhat full-bodied claim to be staging "a festival of automotive excellence".
Delage revival
Laurent Tapie, who has revived the French luxury brand Delage and is showing his D12 outside Europe for the first time, is therefore using this stage logically (gallery, right).
Laurent Tapie, son of French entrepreneurial legend Bernard Tapie: "In 2018, I had sold my companies, was living in Miami and at some point I got bored. After analyzing the market, I decided to develop a hypercar for the super-rich clientele. Cars have always fascinated me, but I didn't want to start a new brand, I wanted to use a traditional name, and after Bugatti was taken, Delage came into my sights."
Delage and Bugatti were the biggest French luxury brands until the early 1950s, dominating both motor racing and many Concours d'Elégances.
Hypercar for the road
At the time, the rights to the Delage name were owned by a fan club of the brand, which Tapie was able to convince to use the name. The result of five years of development is a road-legal hypercar whose twelve-cylinder engine, together with a small electric motor, produces 1000 hp and is offered for two million without extras. Of the 30 planned examples being built on the outskirts of the Magny Cours racetrack, the first have already been sold. A second model is already being planned.
World premiere from Afghanistan.
The European manufacturers are mostly represented by their Qatari partners at the trade show in Doha, so that almost no international innovations are presented. Porsche is showing the Mission X, Toyota has the new Landcruiser, Chery is presenting its various brands in generously sized areas, and Lynck & Co is presenting the 03 sedan, which is not to come to Europe, however.
And so the only real world premiere comes from - Afghanistan.
Now the observer from Europe may wonder whether the battered country in the Hindu Kush absolutely needs a super sports car à la the Batmobile, but the head of Entop, Mohammed Reza Ahmadi, has his own take on the Simurgh (gallery left), which was completed thanks to a crowdfunding campaign. The sports car's genesis is quite adventurous.
Engine from Toyota Corolla
Mohammed Reza Ahmadi: "We secured the material from military scrap, of which there is a lot in Afghanistan. For the design, we used You Tube to develop the shape."
A total of 30 men were involved in the project. The Simurgh is powered by a two-liter four-cylinder engine from the Toyota Corolla. Those responsible are not disclosing the exact performance data of the two-seater, which was built in Kabul.
A partner in Germany with 30 years of motorsport experience - Ahmadi is keeping the name to himself - is now to prepare the Afghan sports car for homologation. After all, Entop wants to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Garage 56 is reserved.
Selected precious models
In addition to the current models, a look at automotive history will also play a major role in Qatar. As a preview of the new automobile museum, which will be launched next year, trade fair organizers will be showing a selection of selected automotive treasures. And it is possible that a Concours d'Elégance along the lines of the Como event will soon be on the agenda in the Arabian Gulf.
Sandro Mesquita: "The event offers a good mix of brands, hypercars, supercars and normal cars. We are very satisfied with the first appearance of the show."
