Half-owned by Bahrain, the supercar offshoot of Formula One giant McLaren is gearing up for the launch of a spectacular new model

IN MARCH, when Formula One world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button unveiled the supercar (picture above) which the McLaren Group hopes will see them take their motoring success off of the circuit and on to the road it was hailed as a display of the best of British.

But the McLaren MP4-12C, the high-performance road car that the new McLaren Automotive marque will begin to produce in 2011, has been put together with strong support from within the Gulf.

Riding to Paradise: Iran

Some time ago, when we decided to travel as much as we can on our bikes, we needed a pespective. We decided to travel, starting from near to more distant places. Namely, first Istanbul and Marmara regions and then making larger circles each time, evenually meeting the country borders and beyond. A non ending project. But we would always know our direction.

It is our map to decide where to go next. We planned a trip to our neighbours on the east, namely Georgia, Azerbeijan, Armenia and Iran. It turned out to be too complicated due to many border crossings. Besides we would cross Iran from the north of the country only, but there was much more to see there. So we decided to make this an Iran ride only.

Sinad Khodro: Another Made in Iran's Car

This car is one of the best Iranian built cars (that's right, Iran does build cars) on the market there. It comes in two body styles: hatchback and coupe. Only a couple of years ago, the only cars seen on Iranian roads were the ancient and unrefined Paykans.

Rivers of these rebaged Hillman Hunters (remember those old 70's cars?) flowed through the country. Now, things are starting to improve with the new Samand on sale and the Sinad. The Samand is a car that was built with the help of French corporations. It is much better than the Paykan, but it can't compete with American autos. There are other cars sold in Iran too, like Renaults and Nissans. For more info, go to www.irkhodro.com or www.kishkhodro-sinad.com.

Pemda Jateng dan Jatim Akan Gunakan Mobil Esemka, Siapa menyusul??

Ini merupakan tindakan yang perlu dicontoh. Tidak hanya berbicara mengenai pengembangan mobil nasional, tapi juga memberikan kontribusi konkret terhadap usaha pengembangannya.

Seperti yang dilakukan Pemerintah Provinsi Jawa Tengah dan Jawa Timur. Rencananya kedua pemda tersebut akan menggunakan mobil buatan anak-anak SMK tersebut.

"Ya, sepertinya mereka tertarik, karena masing-masing sudah memesan sebanyak 100 unit mobil Esemka," ujar konsultan Departemen Pendidikan Nasional Ari Setiawan, ketika dikunjungi detikOto, di pameran Indonesian Manufacturing, di JI Expo, Kemayoran, Jakarta, Rabu, (2/12/2009).

Rencananya Esemka yang diminati Pemda ini adalah Esemka Digdaya. Sebelumnya Digdaya juga sudah diminati oleh kalangan di China.

Meskipun belum tahu akan digunakan untuk apa, namun Ari berharap, pemesanan tersebut dilakukan karena kedua instansi pemerintah tersebut tertarik untuk menjadikan mobil Esemka sebagai unit operasional mereka.

"Itu salah satu tindakan konkret mereka, jadi tidak hanya asal bicara saja," tambahnya.

Sehingga saat ini, Ari hanya tinggal memikirkan bagaimana caranya memenuhi permintaan total 200 unit tersebut, dengan memacu para anak-anak SMK untuk semakin kreatif dan produktif. Kapan Pemerintah Pusat menyusul?

Saudi: ‘4th International Luxury Motor Show’ set to take off as market demand soars

Saudia Private Aviation (SPA), an affiliate of Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the main sponsor of the upcoming 4th edition of the International Luxury Motor Show (EXCS), which will be held at Jeddah Hilton hotel in October 2010.

The sponsorship contract was signed between Saudia Private Aviation and Specialized Systems for Exhibitions and Conventions, the organizer of the International Luxury Motor Show for the fourth year in a row.

On this occasion, Wajdi El Idrissi, assistant general manager for Royal and VIPs Affairs, underscored the importance of the specialized exhibition which targets prominent people and the high class segment of the community, the segment that SPA targets through its marketing programs.

After signing the contract, El Idrissi said: “Saudia Private Aviation services was launched after carrying out thorough market studies which showed constant rising demand for private aviation. We do believe that sponsoring of the International Luxury Motor Show is an important step toward launching our services in view of its privileged reputation and great success achieved in its last sessions.”

He added: “In order to further enhance our services, we added a number of world’s most sophisticated private jets such as Hawker 400XP and Falcon 7X, which has a non-stop flying range of about 11 hours.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Shemasi, CEO of the organizing company, expressed his appreciation for Saudi Arabian Airlines in general, and for SPA in particular, for their participation in the 4th edition of the International Luxury Motor show as the main sponsor. He said: “Participation of Saudi Arabian Airlines in this show is an important motivation for the development of such specialized and distinguished exhibition. We are very proud of this sponsorship, which definitely will have a positive impact for the success of the show, as well as raising the number of its visitors.”

“We, as a company dedicated to excellence, shall continue in the organization of this show, which has enjoyed a great success since its first session. Now, with SPA participation, we are sure that the show will make a qualitative leap,” he added.
He stressed the importance of national companies in sponsoring national events such as the International Luxury Motor Show

Sports car made in UAE set for launch

Rather, the man stepping out of the dark Batmobile-styled sportscar is Nadeem Dweik, international sales manager of Capital Manufacturing, a Dubai-based automaker.

A smile breaks out on his face as he glances at the racing lines of the newest Made-in-the-UAE sports car dubbed the Capman Roadster.

"This isn't a kit car," says Dweik. "Our new cars are much more sophisticated. The big difference is that we manufacture everything in this car except for the chassis and drivetrain.

"We're the only company in Dubai to get a manufacturing licence to build cars. We're the only ones manufacturing cars in the UAE as far as we know." The fibreglass body, interior and virtually every other piece in the car is handmade.

Dweik is gearing up for this weekend's official launch of the muscle roadster's latest model at Capital Manufacturing's head office and small manufacturing plant on Umm Suqeim Road this weekend where new dealers of the UAE automobile will visit from GCC countries to get acquainted.

The company has big plans for the growling road beast based upon the world-famous Cobra design of yesteryear.

"We're expecting a lot of customers to come in to see the car. Some of our customers feel very patriotic and want to support a new nationally built product," Dweik said, adding there is a fierce passion among UAE residents for sports cars with classic looks.

"A lot of people in the UAE already have a passion for the sport and own a Ferrari or a Porsche. But they want something else, they want something special, unique that no one else has," Dweik said.

Rich looks

Part of the business strategy to build and manufacture a UAE-built car is keeping it affordable.

Despite its exceedingly rich looks, the price for a basic model starts at Dh185,000 and can rise to Dh295,000.

"We're making it affordable not just to penetrate the market but also to gain trust in new customers."

Compared to upscale sports cars costing upwards of millions of dirhams, the new muscle roadster is "not a lot of money for a car that has your own signature", he said.

By providing a full package of amenities in a relatively inexpensive but custom-built sports car, Dweik believes the market will welcome the new Capman Roadster in the year ahead.

By mid-2011, Capital Manufacturing says it hopes to sell 40 of the new Capman Roadster in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait through licensed dealers across the GCC.

As more cars sell and the business broadens, Dweik said he expects the firm to open a mini manufacturing plant in Dubai capable of mass production on a small scale at first.

"For now, we're building our cars one at a time but in future we're planning on building a mini plant that will see production increase," he said.

For now, it takes about 12 employees to build a single car, taking it through all stages of production.

Specs

The new Capman Roadster is a car that promises to deliver on performance with a 5.0-litre Mustang engine producing 215 horsepower.

Weight: 1,100kg

Wheelbase: 2286mm

Overall length: 4013mm

Overall height: 1219mm

Overall width: 1790mm

Ground clearance: 115mm

Fuel capacity: 60 litres

Would you prefer to buy a car manufactured in your own country? Or would you rely on a well known brand? Should the UAE set up its own car manufacturing plant?

Terkait "Silent War" Jepang terhadap Industri Otomotof Pribumi: Ternyata Indonesia Pasar motor Terbesar di Asia

Indonesia merupakan pasar motor terbesar di Asia, namun negeri ini belum mempunyai produksi motornya sendiri, sehingga banyak produsen motor dari negara lainnya seperti China, Jepang, dan Italia melemparkan produksinya ke Indonesia.

Potensi pasar yang besar itu mendorong TVS Group melalui TVS Motor Company Indonesia pada tahun 2005 melakukan investasi sebesar 50 juta dolar AS ke pasar domestik dengan mendirikan pabrik pertama di Karawang, kata Chief Operating Officer PT TVS Motor Company Indonesia (TMCI), Darmady Tjuatja saat peluncuran produksi baru TVS Neo X3i di Jakarta, Senin.

Menurut Darmadi Tjuatja, banyaknya motor dari negara lain masuk ke Indonesia menunjukkan bahwa Indonesia adalah pasar yang potensial dalam industri tersebut.
Namun India melalui TVS Group mempunyai pandangan yang berbeda dengan produsen lainnya, langsung melakukan investasi dan mendirikan pabrik di Karawang dengan produksi sebesar 300 ribu per tahun, katanya.

Ia mengatakan, pasar Indonesia dengan India sebenarnya sama, karena keduanya memiliki penduduk yang jumlah cukup besar, namun India mempunyai produksi motor sendiri seperti Bajay dan TVS Neo, sedangkan Indonesia masih belum ada produknya.

Begitu pula dengan China sudah memproduksi motor China dan mempunyai pasar sendiri, dan melepas produknya juga ke pasar Asia lainnya seperti di Indonesia, namun belum melakukan investasi di Indonesia dalam sektor tersebut.

Namun India dengan komitmen yang kuat melakukan investasi di Indonesia yang akan dijadikan sebagai pusat produksi motor TVS Indonesia untuk kawasan Asia Tenggara, tuturnya.

Ditanya kenapa masih memproduksi motor bebek, menurut dia, karena pasar masih cukup besar yang mencapai 38 persen, sedangkan TVS merupakan “anak bawang” yang baru muncul dalam tiga ini.

“Kami harapkan dapat meraih pangsa pasar di dalam negeri antara delapan persen sampai 10 persen,” katanya.

TVS Indonesia, lanjut dia juga berminat memproduksi jenis motor bukan bebek, namun saat ini masih fokus ke sektor tersebut.

Karena itu , TVS juga berharap akan dapat memproduksi satu juta unit motor dalam beberapa tahun ke depan, sehingga menjadi pemain utama dalam bisnis tersebut, katanya.