A land of car enthusiasts, the UAE has a mature market for personalised cars. Some car owners in Dubai and the other emirates are fond of modifying their cars to enhance not only the performance but also the look.
"Buying a car is a big investment. And now a growing number of people are making the extra effort to see to it that their investment is even more worthwhile by adding new features to their cars," says Iqbal Rauf, Chief Operating Officer of Quartermile.
Professional customisation
Quartermile is Dubai's first car spa, offering professional customisation and performance enhancement services in the UAE.
Business has been booming for the company, which is currently capable of customising a minimum of 300 cars a month through a team of highly qualified and experienced designers, engineers and technicians.
Taking note of the regional demand, Los Angeles-based automotive artists West Coast Customs (WCC) have now started their operations in Dubai as well.
"When WCC created a special Hummer with an open creative brief for a member of the Dubai royal family, it became clear that our talent as designers could be exploited to the maximum in this market," says Rami El Malak, Managing Partner of West Coast Customs Middle East.
"The GCC markets are high vehicle growth markets with populations that have a clear affinity for cars and individuality," says Malak.
With its first showroom in the Al Quoz industrial estate in Dubai open for business, WCC is creating designs that fit each client's personality and needs. "That's why no two cars are alike. We use an infinite array of materials, textures, colours and techniques to achieve the desired result," says Malak.
The automotive and industrial design house has two distinct markets — young fans of the brand who have access to WCC's extensive merchandise and entry-level products, and high net worth individuals and car enthusiasts with disposable incomes who have access to WCC's high-end line of products and services.
At the 9th Middle East International Motor Show at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, WCC will take centre stage by customising a car live. Modelled on the Pimp My Ride show, the event will give visitors the chance to drive away in the revamped model.
"Pimp My Ride was a collaboration between West Coast Customs and MTV network. It was a very symbiotic and successful relationship that lasted three seasons. We are currently working on developing a regional reality TV show with a major broadcaster to showcase what West Coast Customs Middle East is capable of doing," says Malak.
Mature market
At the motor show, WCC will also unveil some of its other spectacular projects for the region.
Car designer Bufori considers the UAE to be their fourth-largest market. The group makes 300 customised cars a year, each costing up to Dh400,000.
In an interview with Gulf News, Joseph Siew, Sales and Marketing Manager, Bufori, said: "The market here is very mature. Our clients seek exclusivity and range from members of the ruling family to VIPs."
According to Ira Booker, President of Orange Koast Kustoms, USA: "People benefit from customising by feeling special and having a work of art that they can drive around. Customising can be custom wheels, custom grilles, custom interiors, custom audio and video systems, car computers, custom paints and body kits and in fact anything you can imagine on a vehicle.
"We have customised Bentleys, Hummers, Range Rovers and BMWs. We start out with a basic vehicle and create what the customer wants," says Booker.
"One of our clients had a basic H2 Hummer and wanted something different. When we were finished with it, there was nothing else like it on the street. It had 24 inch colour-matched wheels, a complete suede interior and a state-of-the-art sound system, a 32-inch custom motorised flip down monitor, Lambo doors (scissor doors), a custom air bag system and a computer so that the client could check e-mails from anywhere. It was one cool Hummer."
Changing trends
Booker adds that trends change every few months. "The current trends are wheels, tyres and car computers."
Quartermile, which also distributes prestigious motor brands like Hamann Motorsport, Kahn Performance Products and Accessories and Formulae 1 Racewear, is also planning to expand to other countries in the Middle East.
"Body kits, which are an essential part of car customisation, contain accessories such as the front spoiler, side skirts, rear spoiler, fender extensions and exhaust systems. We have standard body kits and wide body kits, which help in the overall performance enhancement of a car," says Rauf.
"In the Middle East, people have the money and the means to change the look of their cars after a few years. All cars can be customised, but we usually cater to high-end cars such as Bentley, Range Rover, Ferrari and the BMW," he says.
DC Star, another UAE-based car customisation company, uses its automotive and design expertise to create customised vehicles with a difference. "Several banks have approached us to design mobile ATMs for them and we are planning to create one in a Mitsubishi Rosa and a Toyota Coaster," says K. Srinivasan, Project Manager of DC Star.
"Then there are real estate people who require a mobile conference office and who have also approached us. We are trying to create such a meeting place in a mini-bus.
Leading designers
"The office will have a conference room set up, projector screens, dispensers, audio-visual facilities, LCD display screens and projectors and all other amenities."
This does not mean that DC Star does not deal with true-blue car customisation. The company (which has designed the world's first four-wheel drive coupe) has tied up with leading automobile designers worldwide and has come up with the DC Star XL (Mercedes S500), DC Star XS (Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe) and the DC Star XT (Lexus LX 470), now ready for sale.
