From affluent Emiratis to investment bankers, from racing enthusiasts to advertising yuppies, everyone is in search of something exclusive.
"Today, it's not which car you own that makes a statement, but what you do to it," says Ali Thani Bin Khalifa Bin Ghelaita, General Manager and owner of Chrome and Carbon, a Dubai-based car customisation specialist. One look at the shiny, sleek, powerful automobiles whizzing past in all their splendour lends truth to his statement.
And given the current burgeoning automobile market in the UAE and the high living standards in the GCC region, where some of the highest per capita incomes in the world can be found, car customisation has taken a firm foothold and promises to get bigger and better.
Whether it's the high-end models such as the Range Rover, Ferrari, BMW and Lamborghini or the more humble Nissan Sunny and Altima car, modification and customised styling is seeing an increasing demand. Says Iqbal Rauf, COO, Qautermile, "Just last year we witnessed a tremendous 54 per cent growth in revenue and, given the current trend, this year's looking good.
"Being increasingly marketed as a luxury destination and with world-class development lending credibility to that promise, the UAE offers some of the key ingredients to the lifestyles of the rich and famous — an ocean-view villa and a customised car.
It is this ripe market scenario that has lured Yellow Hat, one of the world's largest chains of car accessories superstores to enter the Middle East. Says Graham Markwick, General Manager, Yellow Hat Middle East, "Dubai is currently one of the fastest growing and most exciting cities in the world.
The population is rapidly growing every day and so is the number of vehicles on the road. People are spending an increasing amount of time in their cars and becoming more discerning about their purchases.
And it is targeting this clientele that we offer everything from air fresheners and cleaning products to 4x4 accessories, alloy wheels and car navigation.
"From customised interiors, exteriors, performance kits, body kits, wheels, bumpers to almost surreal paint jobs, there is no limit to what can be done to personalise and style a vehicle, transforming it into a dream machine.
With modifications that take less than two weeks to concept cars that take two months, garages and service centres offer anything under the sun for a price.
As for the hot favourites — "exterior styling, interior styling and specialised paint jobs called candy paint and chameleon paint, made-to-order bumpers and lowering the car are some of the popular demands," says Ghelaita.
"We can design any bumper you want and then there are paint jobs that make the car look a different colour from various angles. Anything is possible.
For instance, your average Honda City can have Lamborghini doors, where the kits can cost anything from $400 to $3,000 (around Dh1,468 to Dh11,014) depending on whether they are sourced from China or Europe."
"With motorcar racing gaining popularity and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix debuting next year, the sportier look is in high demand," says Rauf.
"Everyone wants enhanced engine performance and modified interiors. Costing at times more than the car, these modifications can set you back anything from Dh45,000 for leather interiors to Dh75,000 upwards for a complete makeover that includes the body kit, spoilers, exhaust system, wheel rims and car tyres.
"From fruit-pigment paint jobs to enhanced engine performance, there is even more to pimping your car, including installing some fancy, state-of-the-art gadgetry. Says Hemant Aidasani, Product Marketing Manager, Techmart Middle East, "Nokia has the widest range of car kits and car accessories that are compatible with Nokia and non-Nokia mobile phones, which is what makes them very popular.
The range of products for car accessories includes everything from plug-in devices, sun visor kits, GPS devices, car mobile holders and mobile car chargers.
One of our hot-sellers is the CK-15w costing Dh795, which allows the user to transfer the entire phone menu to this device, enabling him to function completely hands-free.
Telematics
The future will see an increased demand for telematics, in-car communications and PND devices. "In fact, this month Nokia is set to launch the Personal Navigation Device, which will have a detailed route map of the GCC — all you need to do is feed in your destination and a voice-over will guide you there.
This device is estimated to cost Dh2,000 upwards," says Aidasani. But it's not all sunshine in this rapidly expanding market. Experts feel some operators lack professionalism.
"Many garages offer customisation and it's getting competitive, but there is a great lack of quality control, with often products and accessories being sourced from China. We at Chrome and Carbon prefer to order our stuff from Europe," explains Ghelaita.
Seconding that is quartermile that insists that all their parts come from Europe, especially Germany. "The testing and quality control standards are far more stringent in Germany and, while it may take a little longer, it is worth it," says Rauf. n
