Chinese car manufacturers are moving into new markets around the world with the seeming rapidity of some of their fastest automotive creations on the tarmac.
Until just a few years ago, few outside the country will have heard of the brands involved in this global expansion, but now many are attracting global attention.
Electric vehicles are a key element to what is on offer. Here's a look at a few of the Middle East's options.
BYD Atto 3
Practicality was always a main element when electric cars first started to appear, but BYD (among others) realised you could have a bit of style amongst all the good intentions that petrol-free motoring entails.
The brand’s Atto 3 is a compact SUV, but one with a fair amount of space inside. It’s powered by a 50kW battery that gives the car a range of around 450km, though less if you zip around in sport mode.
You might be inclined to do that though as it gives the car much of the feel of the kind of vehicle that you might already expect to have a similarly vivacious nature. This is a solid option if around-town motoring in a zippy vehicle is your bag and, for a lot of us, that’s exactly what’s required.
Starting from Dh140,000
JAC E30X
The JAC E30X is another entertaining vehicle that’s on the fun side, and one that's likely to appeal to the environmentally conscious motoring public who previously favoured the likes of the Fiat 500.
The chic air of the vehicle gives it a more modern feel than most cars currently on the roads, electric or otherwise, not to mention a bumper-to-bumper sleek feeling.
There is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a lot of tech inside the cabin and, perhaps surprisingly, a fair amount of room in it, too. Being an undeniably cute ride, some might say this is a car to be seen in, rather than driven, but there are plenty of worse ways to get around and, as we said, it’s fun.
Starting from Dh93,700
Riddara RD6
Pick-up fans needn’t feel excluded if you fancy something electric on their driveway next. The recently released Riddara RD6 is a quirky take on the basic concept of a utility vehicle redesigned to appeal to a more leisure-orientated market.
It is also capable of doing some of the jobs fossil fuel-powered pick-ups are renowned for, like pulling trailers. You can easily fill the back and haul a small boat at the same time.
The RD6 would function as a work vehicle, but it’s more likely to be favoured by those looking for a motor to transport all the things needed for an amusing and, depending upon what's put in the back, possibly action-packed day out.
Starting at Dh139,000
Hongqi E-HS9
We’re onto the bigger stuff now. SUV aficionados who might be feeling inclined towards an electric option can have their cake and eat it with Hongqi’s E-HS9.
It’s comparable in girth to most of the heftiest full-size 4x4s on the roads today, but this big old unit is no slouch in the speed department – the car’s twin-motor powertrain will get driver and passengers up to 100kph from a standing start in around 4.5 seconds, a figure sufficient to embarrass many a smaller ride.
Those with the oft-mentioned range anxiety that puts many off electric vehicles might have their angst assuaged somewhat with the news that the E-HS9 can go nearly 700km on a single charge.
Starting from Dh530,000
HiPhi Z
If you’re looking for something unusual, the HiPhi Z will tick a lot of metaphorical motoring boxes. As yet, these are a niche option, but one that might be worthy of the buying public’s attention.
This is a natty-looking five-door affair whose stylings resemble shooting brakes from years past. The similarities end there, though. The Z is a sporty tearaway with some terrific power that rivals, say, the Porsche Taycan GTS – it has a 0 to 100kph time of 3.8 seconds, for a start.
Much like the Polestar 4, there is no rear windscreen here with most driver aides coming from cameras, so it’s an ultra-modern ride. This is one you’d need to get specifically exported, but if you were looking for something fast that’ll get you noticed, the Z could be high on your list.
Starting from Dh404,000
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
