The world may be feeling the start of a global recession, but demand for luxury cars continues to accelerate.
Rolls-Royce and Bentley — two of the biggest names in the luxury car market — announced record sales this year and a surge in demand for the latest electric vehicles.
Lamborghini also had a stellar 2022, delivering 9,233 cars worldwide, an increase of 10 per cent from the previous year. It has already pre-sold its entire production run to early 2024.
Experts say a greater choice of SUVs made by high-end brands, as well as the option to customise new cars, helped to boost sales.
Rolls-Royce reported an 8 per cent increase in vehicle sales in 2022 compared with the previous year, rising to a record 6,021 worldwide.
The average cost of one of the luxury cars is about $574,000.
Bentley recorded an increase in sales by 4 per cent last year compared with 2021 figures, selling 15,174 of its high-end vehicles.
Private dealers in Dubai, one of the most reliable markets for luxury cars, said the region’s prestige vehicle industry was booming despite the global economic downturn.
“The Middle East has always been a strong performer for Rolls-Royce and Bentley, regionally, in terms of sales numbers,” Ryan Hughes, co-owner of RMA Motors in Dubai Investment Park, told The National.
“One of the main reasons has been the introduction of the luxury SUV Cullinan and Bentayga models.
“They are some of the best-performing models and have encouraged sales numbers to improve.
“The Cullinan is the best-selling product in our region, and for Asia it seems to be the Ghost.
“The next big step globally is the launch of the Spectre, the first electric Rolls-Royce. It will be interesting to see how it performs.”
RMA Motors has reported impressive growth, with a 10 per cent increase in luxury car sales in 2022 and an 18 per cent growth forecast for 2023, Mr Hughes said.
Custom-made Rolls-Royce cars have helped to increase profits for the German-owned manufacturer, with the Middle East the leading region for bespoke orders.
The car maker in 2022 opened its first private office outside the UK to cater to the burgeoning market for custom luxury cars in the Middle East.
The office is in Dubai’s One Central district.
“The Middle East region continues to contribute significantly to Rolls-Royce’s overall success and saw the strongest sales growth of any region in 2022,” said Rolls-Royce regional director Cesar Habib.
“It is a key market for bespoke vehicles.
“While we don’t provide sales forecasts, we are optimistic that 2023 will be another strong year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in the Middle East and Africa."
Bentley also reported a consistent appeal among consumers for the Continental GT and GT Convertible, which starts at $238,300, and accounted for about a third of all sales.
Its popular SUV — the Bentayga — made up 42 per cent of all company sales.
It also recorded growing demand in 2022 for bespoke vehicles, as customers looked to make their cars unique.
Custom vehicles delivered last year increased by 6 per cent in the Middle East to 968 last year, up from 915 in 2021.
“During the past three years, we witnessed increasing demand across our portfolio and we expect the business to continue on a healthy growth trajectory in 2023,” said Joseph Tayar, director of the prestige division of Al Habtoor Motors.
“Customers in the UAE do really value their personal tastes and they are not worried to express it.”
Customised cars are a key performer for Bentley in the UAE, with lead times from six to 12 months.
“The product scarcity we faced during the past three years affected customer expectations and behavioural patterns,” Mr Tayar said.
“Focus has shifted towards highly customised vehicles and clients are accepting the lead time required for production.
“Supply issues have been corrected all around the world by most manufacturers and we have now a steady supply of Bentley vehicles arriving in UAE.”
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Andor
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
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