Geneva International Motor Show in Qatar: Car firms accelerate plans to go big and go green

euronews (in English)

In this episode of Qatar 365, we get revved up for the biggest auto show in the Middle East and hear from the car companies leading the way towards a greener future.

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:04 The beating art is here in the halls with the motor show.

00:07 But we are present also at the Lucerne track.

00:10 We are present at the desert, at the Lucerne Boulevard.

00:13 We wanted to create an experience with static,

00:16 but also with dynamic presentations.

00:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:22 Hello, and welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Laila Humaira.

00:27 On this episode, we've got a need for speed

00:31 and come face to face with some hot wheels leading

00:34 the way to a greener future.

00:36 The Geneva International Motor Show

00:37 has been showcasing the latest trends in the auto industry

00:41 since 1905.

00:43 This year, for the first time in its history,

00:45 it was held outside Switzerland, right here in Qatar.

00:49 We sent Adel Halim to find out what Gibbs Qatar was all about.

00:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:57 [ENGINE REVVING]

01:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:04 You're looking at the brand new McLaren 750S,

01:07 set to be released across the region in December.

01:11 Just one of many big reveals at the inaugural Qatar

01:14 edition of the prestigious Geneva International Motor

01:17 Show.

01:18 That's bringing a serious range of audience

01:20 from the very high net worth individuals

01:22 down to your average fan in front of the products

01:24 which we feel so passionate about.

01:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:27 But the 750S was just one of many new product launches

01:31 at the Qatar show.

01:34 10 global premieres, 20 regional reveals,

01:37 30 renowned automakers all under one roof.

01:40 Whether you're a car buyer, collector, or enthusiast,

01:43 GIMS is widely considered the most important auto

01:46 show in Europe.

01:48 Now making its first foray into the Middle East,

01:50 organizers hope GIMS Qatar will soon

01:52 become the most important motor show in the region.

01:56 This is amazing.

01:57 10 brand new cars never seen anywhere in the world.

02:00 And it's not happening in Detroit.

02:02 It's not happening in Frankfurt.

02:03 It's not happening in Paris or Tokyo.

02:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:07 GIMS draws tens of thousands of visitors every year.

02:11 The first motor show was held in Geneva in 1905.

02:14 And by the 1950s, the show attracted

02:17 some of the biggest brands from the UK and US.

02:22 Landing in Qatar this year, the exhibition

02:24 has come a long way.

02:26 What's been the biggest challenge?

02:27 So for us, the first challenge was

02:30 to organize a show that is decentralized,

02:33 so what we call the festival.

02:35 Because the beating art is here in the halls with the motor

02:38 show.

02:39 But we are present also at the Lucille track.

02:42 We are present in the desert, at the Lucille Boulevard.

02:45 So we wanted to create an experience with static,

02:49 but also with dynamic presentations.

02:51 [APPLAUSE]

02:53 Ladies and gentlemen, the three new generations

02:56 of Volkswagen SUVs coming to the Middle East.

03:00 The Middle East for us matches perfectly,

03:03 because in the Middle East, the Arabian culture is all

03:05 about family and relationship.

03:07 We are a love brand, a family brand.

03:09 And that's what fits perfectly to the Arabian culture.

03:12 Now from one iconic German brand to another.

03:16 For Mercedes-Benz, it's about bringing both luxury

03:19 and sustainability, because that's what we believe

03:21 the future of luxury is.

03:23 Mercedes made multiple regional reveals in Qatar,

03:26 from traditional combustion engines to electric vehicles.

03:30 We focus on building desirable cars.

03:33 We focus on the top end growth in the luxury markets.

03:36 And this is the reason for luxury.

03:38 And this isn't the end of the road for Gims Qatar.

03:41 The show will return to Doha every two years,

03:44 coinciding with the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix.

03:47 For us, it was great to have a global partner, a global brand,

03:52 and their expertise.

03:53 And so partnering with Geneva was, I think,

03:55 a very, very smart choice.

03:57 It's similar in terms of the look, the feel,

04:00 the professionalism.

04:01 And that's what makes it so special.

04:03 Well, those fancy cars can reach impressively top speeds.

04:09 But can they go as fast as the cars racing on this track?

04:14 This is the Lusail International Circuit,

04:17 home of all things motorsports in Qatar.

04:20 Fresh from hosting another thrilling edition of the Formula

04:23 One Qatar Grand Prix, the circuit

04:25 is gearing up to host the motorcycling equivalent,

04:28 the MotoGP race.

04:30 I caught up with Amro Al-Hamad, the CEO of Lusail International

04:34 Circuit, to get his insights on what

04:37 it takes to keep up with the leading

04:39 racing tracks of the world.

04:43 Now, Amro, the circuit has just hosted the successful comeback

04:47 of the Formula One Grand Prix here in Qatar.

04:49 How did you feel about the whole event?

04:51 It was really exciting, welcoming everybody

04:53 in our new facility.

04:55 I wouldn't say it is renovated.

04:57 I would say it's a brand new facility.

04:59 And we've broken a couple of records here.

05:02 Number one was actually building the facility

05:04 or getting the facility ready to host the F1 race.

05:07 And the record time, we've had a huge attendance,

05:10 126,000 people over three days, compared to 15,000 people

05:15 a day in 2021.

05:17 So that is telling us anything.

05:18 It's just telling us how motorsports now

05:20 is becoming really a popular sport or an event

05:23 to actually watch in the state of Qatar.

05:26 Now, that is just the start of the beginning of back-to-back-

05:31 to-back events for the Lusail International Circuit.

05:34 Can you share some of those exciting plans?

05:36 This is absolutely correct.

05:37 We've just finished now with the 2023 Formula One race.

05:40 And next, we have the MotoGP happening

05:43 on the 17th to 19th of November, 2023,

05:47 followed by the Middle East and North Africa Karting

05:49 Championship that's happening in December.

05:51 And then we move to 2024.

05:53 We have the prologue for the World Endurance Championship,

05:56 then the first round of the championship,

05:58 and followed back again with the MotoGP happening in March.

06:02 Now, this year in particular, the Geneva International Motor

06:05 Show was held at the same time as the F1.

06:08 How has that boosted motorsports and overall the automotive

06:12 industry in Qatar?

06:13 The presence of the Geneva International Motor

06:15 Show in Qatar, side by side with the Formula One race

06:21 happening here, made it all a motorsports festival,

06:24 more than just two separate events.

06:25 And they completed, actually, each other.

06:27 We saw a lot of attention and a lot of eagerness

06:31 from the people to actually get into motorsports.

06:34 We're going to have this festival happening

06:35 for the next 10 years.

06:37 It's undeniable that Qatar is a motorsport country.

06:40 From the Formula One, to the MotoGP,

06:42 to the Qatar International Rally,

06:44 and off-road and karting championships.

06:47 What's driving this interest and the need for speed?

06:50 Our whole idea that we have in mind now

06:53 is to actually promote for motorsports.

06:56 We need to see younger youth now aspiring

06:59 to be part of our motorsports journey.

07:01 And bringing all these international events into Qatar

07:04 helps into benefiting from or reaching that goal.

07:08 And finally, we know that you're a thrill seeker

07:11 and a motorhead yourself.

07:12 What's your favorite way to blow off some steam,

07:14 whether it's on two wheels or four?

07:16 Yes, I was involved in motorsports

07:18 and that was my aspiration to end up

07:22 in doing a job like I'm doing now.

07:23 I always tell the people I'm not doing a job.

07:25 I just do what I love every single day.

07:28 Going back to what I enjoy doing now,

07:30 I'm not out of motorsports.

07:32 I use every single chance to get myself

07:34 into a car around the track.

07:36 And majority of the time now I'm doing

07:37 motocross and enduro riding.

07:39 Now we ditch the diesel and shift gears

07:45 to look at what's driving the industry

07:47 towards a greener future.

07:48 Electric vehicles are becoming a prominent feature

07:51 at auto shows all over the world.

07:53 In fact, EV sales are set to grow by 16% by 2035.

07:58 I found out why more people and companies

08:01 are charging up to go full speed ahead with electric cars.

08:05 (upbeat music)

08:07 34 days, 12 countries, 8,000 kilometres

08:16 and two fully electric Volkswagen ID.Bus vans.

08:21 Led by Frank Rindepnecht, two crews made the journey

08:24 from Geneva to Doha to push the limits of electro mobility.

08:29 There were many challenges, many problems to overcome.

08:33 It was a trip full of emotions, full of excitement,

08:36 full of great people to have met,

08:40 see landscapes which are extraordinary.

08:43 So it was intensive and in a way,

08:47 probably a once in a lifetime.

08:49 The historic event saw Frank and his team

08:52 being the first to cross Saudi Arabia

08:54 from West to East in electric cars.

08:57 The trip wasn't just a display of pioneering spirit,

09:00 it also was a resounding success

09:03 for innovation and electric vehicles.

09:06 We need to get away from fossil energies

09:09 to renewable energies.

09:11 And already this step in the thinking

09:13 is a big step towards that goal,

09:17 not just to consume and then evaporate it into the air,

09:22 but to make it a circular industry.

09:25 The Volkswagen ID.Bus may look a little bulky

09:28 for a long cross country journey,

09:30 but it was the obvious choice for the Tour d'Excellence.

09:34 The ID.Bus is like an iconic car.

09:37 It goes back to the 70s, a travelling, serving car.

09:41 And we needed space, we needed space for spare tyres,

09:44 for car checks and all different kinds of things.

09:47 From vans to cars to even buses like these,

09:50 electric vehicles are a big feature here

09:53 at the Geneva International Motor Show.

09:55 Qatar's Mawassalat unveiled this mini bus

09:58 that's not only fully electric, but also driverless.

10:03 The buses mark another step in the partnership

10:06 between Mawassalat and Chinese firm Yitong

10:09 to boost the use of EV buses for the public.

10:13 Meanwhile, new and up-and-coming EV brands

10:16 like Lucid, Vinfast and Xceed also unveiled new models,

10:20 heating up the competition in an increasingly crowded race.

10:24 Another brand looking to expand its reach in the Middle East

10:28 is Link & Co.

10:30 Our flagship model is Link & Co. 09.

10:33 This car is a seven-seater SUV.

10:35 So in this GCC region, I think this car is going to be a huge success.

10:40 To help them capture the Qatari market,

10:42 Link & Co. is teaming up with Qatar's MBK Group

10:45 and AutoClass Cars.

10:47 The renowned dealerships have decades of experience

10:50 distributing prestigious brands like Mercedes and Harley-Davidson.

10:56 Link & Co. is just more than a car.

10:58 And for us to have Link & Co. was not just having another brand

11:01 to our portfolio, despite having a lot of competitors in the market.

11:05 So we wanted to have something different.

11:07 That's about the connectivity, Eastern-Western connectivity.

11:10 As more companies accelerate their plans to go big and go green,

11:15 Frank and his team are all charged up for their next adventure.

11:19 In our bucket list, we have Patagonia, South of South America.

11:24 Whether we can do this trip electrically or in a regular car,

11:28 we don't know yet.

11:29 But again, what's important about is to dream,

11:33 and dreaming is great.

11:35 From the newly upgraded tracks of the Lusail International Circuit

11:41 to the show-stopping displays at the Geneva International Motor Show,

11:44 we hope you've enjoyed the ride.

11:46 But that's all the time we have for now.

11:48 For more, check out euronews.com and connect with us through our hashtag.

11:52 Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.

11:56 (upbeat music)

11:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended