The Countdown Begins for the Arab Car of the Year Awards

In November of this year, Doha will host the first edition of the Arab Car Of The Year (ARABCOTY) awards, honoring the most esthetically appealing, technologically advanced, and powerful cars on the Middle Eastern market.

The “Arab Car Of The Year” (ARABCOTY) award is considered as one of the most prestigious automotive accolades in the Middle East as it is based on rigorous testing and an extensive evaluation that is conducted by a panel of independent world-class motoring journalists and car enthusiasts from different countries and backgrounds.

Organized by Maqina Middle East, which is one of the region’s leading automotive magazines, the ARABCOTY awards aim to provide consumers and enthusiasts in the Middle East with reliable and unbiased information about the finest cars on the market. The 2024 Arab Car Of The Year awards will be granted in many categories: from sedans and sports cars to SUVs, crossovers, and EVs. The winning cars will be evaluated against four key criteria: overall design, performance, safety, and technology.

Commenting on the prestigious awards, Tarek Hawchar, Founder and Managing Director of Maqina Middle East, said: “We are very excited to launch the ARABCOTY awards, which will be a milestone event for the automotive industry in the Middle East. The ARABCOTY awards will be a valuable source of guidance and inspiration for car buyers and enthusiasts alike.”

“There’s more to ARABCOTY than just an awards ceremony. It is a celebration of the industry’s brightest stars and a testament to the region’s unwavering commitment to progress and excellence,” Mr. Hawchar added.

The ARABCOTY awards will be announced at a gala ceremony on one of Doha’s most prestigious and luxurious avenues “The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort” where the winners of each category will be revealed. The event will also recognize the innovation and excellence of the automotive manufacturers and their contribution to the further development of the industry throughout the region.

#ArabCaroftheYearAwards

ROLLS-ROYCE CELEBRATES SIXTY YEARS OF GOLDFINGER WITH EXQUISITE ONE-OF-ONE PHANTOM EXTENDED

“At Rolls-Royce, we are dedicated to crafting deeply personal masterpieces that reshape the boundaries of possibility and truly define the essence of luxury. Each creation is a reflection of our commitment to producing extraordinary, unique motor cars that consistently delight and exceed the expectations of our clients. This particular project really invigorated our team of creatives, giving them the freedom to explore the reaches of their imagination. The final creation is a testament to the power of collaboration and the extraordinary ability of our designers, craftspeople, and engineers.”

Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“Witnessing how our Bespoke Collective seized upon the idea of celebrating 60 years of the film has been truly remarkable; this fantastic story has been masterfully explored in Phantom Goldfinger’s exquisite design. The creativity extended far beyond the making of the motor car, as we curated extraordinary experiences for the client and their family, all while staying true to the spirit of the Goldfinger theme. It is this exceptional ability to engage our clients and create lasting impressions that defines us as a true House of Luxury.”

Boris Weletzky, Regional Director, United Kingdom, Europe and Central Asia, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

“This is gold, Mr. Bond. All my life, I’ve been in love with its colour, its brilliance, its divine heaviness.”

Auric Goldfinger, Auric Enterprises

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has unveiled a one-of-one Phantom Extended that pays homage to the 1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger – one of twelve Rolls-Royce appearances in the 007 film franchise. Revealed in the film’s 60th anniversary year, it takes inspiration from the 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville owned by the eponymous villain, Auric Goldfinger. This story is masterfully explored in Phantom Goldfinger, with exquisite and ingenious Bespoke features linking to the plot and iconography of this enduring film.

Phantom Goldfinger incorporates some of the most extensively engineered Bespoke features applied to a one-of-one motor car in Rolls-Royce history, each linking to the Goldfinger film plot. A total of three years of continuous development was required to bring each of these elegant and playful Bespoke features to life – from a complex sculptural Gallery, inspired by the famous scene filmed on the Furka Pass, to a gold golf putter mounted to the inside of the motor car’s boot, recalling the club used by Auric Goldfinger during his first encounter with James Bond.

2024 PHANTOM EXTENDED ‘GOLDFINGER’: EXTERIOR

For the exterior of this contemporary tribute to Goldfinger’s motor car, Rolls-Royce paint specialists precisely matched the exterior yellow hue to the original 1937 Phantom III Sedanca de Ville used in the film. A unique ‘long-side’ two-tone design was developed in which the black finish wraps around the motor car’s generous coachwork as a single, uninterrupted graphic. The 21-inch disc wheels are finished in Black with silver ‘floating’ hubcaps, creating a tone-on-tone effect that recalls the wheel design of the 1937 motor car as seen in the film.

The Spirit of Ecstasy at the prow of Phantom Goldfinger has been given a unique finish, subtly referencing the motion picture’s plot. In the film, the villain Auric Goldfinger was smuggling gold in body panels of his Phantom. As a nod to this concept, sections of the figurine appear to reveal gold underneath, suggesting it is made of solid gold, concealed with a silver coat. Since it is not possible to silver-plate gold, Rolls-Royce specialists used a solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy and skilfully gold-plated it with 18-carat gold to achieve the ‘gold reveal’ effect.

INTERIOR: HIDDEN GOLD

In honour of the Goldfinger film, the Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers, and artisans within Rolls-Royce developed several highly complex details and features that incorporate 18- and 24-carat gold. One such feat is the hidden vault created in the centre console between the front seats. The area was re-engineered to house an illuminated solid 18-carat gold bar, shaped as a Phantom ‘Speedform’ – a stylised representation of the motor car’s design in miniature.

The base of the front and rear centre consoles is also lined with an exquisite gold finish, as is the inside of the glovebox. The inner lid of the glovebox is also debossed with Goldfinger’s iconic quote: “This is Gold, Mr. Bond. All my life, I have been in love with its colour, its brilliance, its divine heaviness.”

The air vents and ‘organ stops’ throughout the motor car also have a lustrous gold finish. The speaker frets are given the same finish and inscribed with the film’s title treatment. The treadplates, designed to look like the gold bars that feature Goldfinger, are gold-plated and embossed using the same font developed for the film in 1964. The 24-carat gold-plated VIN plaque is engraved with a specially obtained vehicle identification number, which ends in 007.

FURKA PASS GALLERY

The Bespoke artwork installed in Phantom’s Gallery, which runs the full width of the front fascia, is the true centrepiece of the motor car. The three-dimensional design, which was hand-drawn, is a precise yet artistic isoline map that shows the contours of the Furka Pass; in the film 007 is seen on this legendary road, discreetly following Auric Goldfinger to his smelting plant in the Swiss Alps. The stainless steel used to construct the piece was darkened using a method named physical vapour deposition. Contour lines and elevation figures are engraved into the dark substrate, exposing the bright metal beneath. The Furka Pass is cut out from the stainless-steel layer, revealing a gilded surface underneath.

This highly complex feature required a year of painstaking development, in which the Bespoke Collective produced ten complete prototypes to perfect the design. The Bespoke clock surround at the centre of the artwork is inspired by the instantly recognisable ‘gun barrel’ sequence which has been featured in every James Bond film since Dr. No (1962).

FURKA PASS STARLIGHT HEADLINER

The motor car pays another subtle tribute to the memorable Furka Pass scene. The marque’s Bespoke Collective designed the Starlight Headliner of Phantom Goldfinger to perfectly reflect the constellations as they were positioned over the Furka Pass on 11 July 1964 – the last day of filming the scene in Switzerland. 719 ‘stars’, which glow with a subtle gold hue, are surrounded by a further eight ‘shooting stars’ – all individually placed by hand.

PICNIC TABLE INLAY: THE MAP TO GOLD RESERVES

The Royal Walnut picnic tables are adorned with a 22-carat gold inlay with a depth of only 0.1 mm, which feature a fictional map of Fort Knox, the bullion depository where the United States’ gold reserves are stored. The design, which took six months to finalise and was developed over three prototypes, incorporates key locations including Gold Vault Road, Bullion Boulevard, and the Bullion Depository that Goldfinger plans to attack in ‘Operation Grand Slam’.

INTERIOR COLOURWAY: GOLD STANDARD

Phantom Goldfinger is finished in Navy leather and Royal Walnut veneer, selected as an elegant and refined canvas to showcase the gold detailing, inspired by the interior colourway of the original motor car. The seating, which includes reclining Serenity Seating in the rear suite, is subtly elevated with gold stitching, gold-coloured ‘bullets’ to cap the seat piping sections, and headrests that incorporate gold ‘RR’ monograms.

EXQUISITE DETAILS

James Bond’s initial encounter with Goldfinger takes place at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, UK, where 007 challenges him to a round of golf. Goldfinger uses a gold putter, which is safely guarded by his henchman, Oddjob. For the 2024 Phantom Goldfinger, the gold-plated putter has been recreated and mounted on the underside of the boot lid. The club is adorned with a specially designed ‘AG’ monogram, inspired by the engraving on the signet ring worn by Goldfinger on-screen.

Later, while alone with Goldfinger’s Phantom III, Bond places a Q Branch-issued tracking device on the motor car, which he uses to follow the villain across Europe. To acknowledge this, the Bespoke Collective developed a device, inspired by the original gadget, that subtly projects the 007 logo onto the carpet of the luggage compartment floor whenever the lid is opened.

During the Stoke Park scene, Bond is nearly caught interfering with the Phantom III by Oddjob, who loads Goldfinger’s golf clubs and a harlequin umbrella into the boot. For the 2024 Phantom Goldfinger, the umbrellas that fit into the motor car’s rear doors have been finished in the same red, blue, green, and yellow colours.

As a finishing touch, the prized British numberplate ‘AU 1’, which graced the Goldfinger Phantom III in the film, has been secured — a reference to the chemical symbol for gold on the periodic table of elements. This will remain with Phantom Goldfinger, which has now been delivered to a significant Rolls-Royce client and collector based in England.

“Bringing Phantom Goldfinger into being was one of the Bespoke Collective’s greatest creative journeys to date. The elegant and whimsical features that reference the film’s most memorable moments are an exquisite demonstration of the power of Bespoke in adding a new chapter to an existing story. It was a privilege to be a part of the creative team that brought this highly sought-after collector’s piece to life.”

Nick Rhodes, Bespoke Designer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

#ROLLSROYCE

Qatar Automobiles Company Launches the All-New Mitsubishi XFORCE in Qatar in a grand ceremony

Qatar Automobiles Company, the authorized general distributor of Mitsubishi Motors in Qatar, officially launched the all-new Mitsubishi XFORCE (also known as the Outlander Sport in some markets) during a grand ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel Doha. This makes Qatar one of the key markets for the introduction of this new model from the renowned brand.

The event was attended by Kano Daichi, Manager GCC Markets at Mitsubishi Motors Corporation; Walid Rashed, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Mitsubishi Motors Middle East & Africa; Frank Zauner, General Manager of Qatar Automobiles Company; QAC management along with special guests, media representatives, and influencers.

Frank Zauner, General Manager, Qatar Automobiles Company said: “The launch of the all-new XFORCE aligns perfectly with Qatar Automobiles Company and Mitsubishi Motors' strategy to introduce an elegant, sporty, and modern vehicle to the market, designed to meet the expectations of the new generation, and equipped with the latest technology and features. I reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our customers and community by providing reliable, cutting-edge vehicles that meet their daily needs. We are equally committed to delivering exceptional after-sales services, ensuring that every customer's experience with Mitsubishi is smooth, affordable, and satisfying.”

Commenting on the XFORCE launch in Qatar, Kano Daichi, Manager GCC Markets at Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, said: “We are excited to bring the all-new XFORCE to Qatar. It will resonate well with young families, professionals, and adventurers who are looking for a stylish SUV that complements their active lifestyles. It is for the bold, adventurous, and those who demand more and are not afraid to challenge boundaries.”

Walid Rashed, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Mitsubishi Motors Middle East & Africa said: “We are proud to launch the all-new XFORCE in Qatar and the Middle East which will redefine the standards of the compact SUV segment. Its elegant and bold design, as well as cutting-edge technology and luxurious amenities will make it an ideal choice of the new generations.”

The all-new XFORCE

 The stylish, yet bold compact SUV is designed based on the concept of “best-suited buddy for an exciting lifestyle” to bring excitement, comfort, and practicality to customers’ everyday lives.

The XFORCE is developed to answer the needs of young families, active individuals, and modern adventurers seeking a vehicle that seamlessly blends style, reliability, versatility, and cutting-edge technology to better match their dynamic lifestyles.

Aiming to redefine the standards in the compact SUV segment, the XFORCE features a bold, elegant design, a wide range of luxurious amenities, a spacious interior, and a powerful 1.5-liter MIVEC engine.

A style that Draws Attention

The exterior design of the all-new XFORCE oozes excitement and sophistication from every angle thanks to its forward-thinking, futuristic design. Designed based on the Silky and Solid concept, the compact SUV draws attention wherever it goes, thereby promoting a trendsetter lifestyle. The new generation dynamic shield with honeycomb accents as well as Mitsubishi Motors’ iconic T-shaped LED headlights and taillights, create a sporty look with a sense of depth. The XFORCE also comes with two-tone 18-inch alloy wheels, thereby making a powerful statement on the road.

Tech-Savvy Interior for Modern Drivers

While the exterior styling looks bold and sporty, drivers will be greeted by a luxurious interior with higher-quality materials and cutting-edge technologies. In a first for Mitsubishi Motors, a mélange fabric is used for the padding of the instrument panel, creating a sense of enclosure by covering everything up to the door trim. The modern cockpit also sports a 12.3-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio (SDA) compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with an 8-inch Digital Driver Display to put information and entertainment at your fingertips.

Other key interior highlights include dual-zone climate control with rear and driver knee air vents, wireless smartphone charging, USB Type A & C ports in the rear console, synthetic leather seats with an anti-rise temperature function, hands-free power tailgate, and Nanoe™ X air purifier, all of which ensure a comfortable and connected ride.

Safety First

On the safety front, XFORCE is engineered with a plethora of driver-assistance systems and advanced safety features, including six airbags, Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), an electric parking brake with an auto hold function, and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), thereby providing peace of mind for both drivers and passengers.

Performance Designed for Our Region and Built for Adventure

Under the hood, the all-new XFORCE debuts with a 1.5-liter MIVEC responsive engine that combines efficiency with power. The four-cylinder engine is mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) to ensure an ideal balance between fuel efficiency and driving power. The innovative transmission also features a “Ds” function (Downshift and Sporty) to enhance the driving force and engine braking, thereby ensuring a confident and sporty driving experience.

The XFORCE has four drive modes—Normal, Wet, Gravel, and Mud. These four drive modes allow you to adjust power delivery, traction control, and steering effort for maximum confidence in different driving situations. With its two-tone 18-inch wheels, the XFORCE achieves a class-leading ground clearance of 222 mm, making it the ideal SUV for the Middle East’s challenging off-road terrains.

The all-new XFORCE and the full line up of Mitsubishi cars are available at Qatar Automobiles Company, the authorized general distributor of Mitsubishi Motors in Qatar, in its showroom on Salwa Road in Doha

#QatarAutomobilesCompany #Mitsubishi #XFORCE