Bahrain displays positive sentiment for BD700,000 Huayra

Arrackal Alexander M Manama, Apr 18 (BNA): The Italian mid-engined super car Pagani Huayra, is on display at the Kingdom of Bahrain's Four Seasons Al Bahrain 2 ballroom. At a base price of BD700,000, the Huayra is clearly for the collector's stable. "Bahrain already has three cars and we see great potential, since the economy is on a growth trajectory," said Nizar Al Kareem, Sales Manager of Nahwasharq, the authorised Sales agent for Pagani in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He told Bahrain News Agency (BNA) that the country sales pointed to resilience of its economy and the increased purchasing power of its people. Commenting on the three cars sales for Bahrain, Al Kareem told the agency that Pagani produced only 20 cars a year. "When I say three cars from this limited production, that is a huge market share," he added. The company is in the process of doubling production to 45 cars a year. The American market, with its voluminous geography is ready to take a good share, said the manager. The Middle East market, including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, gets a 35 per cent quota of this production, he said. "The importance we attach to the sale and service of the Bahrain client has resulted in bringing the brand to the Four Seasons. We plan to create brand awareness through this display," he added. Asked about the setting up of a Pagani service centre in Bahrain, Shady M. Abdulmaksoud, the marketing manager said that negotiations were progressing in this direction. The concept of a "flying doctor", is relevant to such vehicles, he added. By this it is intended that the person arriving to check the vehicle will be trained to give any service, except in major areas requiring the car to be taken to the authorised service centre, on the spot, said the marketing manager. High-end cars also mean personalised service and top of the line customisation. Turning to customisation, the managers told the agency that a large part of the exterior and interior appearance can be done in line with customer requirements. The shell colour can be changed and the leather seats, steering wheel cover and all such accessories and the dashboard colour and material could be customised, said the managers. Looking beyond Huayra, they both said that the next production would be a special edition in 2016 that would debut at the Geneva motorshow. "Although the car will only debut in 2016, the first lot of 20 cars has already been sold out," they added. The special edition was priced at €2.2 million. Beyond the special edition, is the Roadster, which is yet to become a reality,said the sales manager. Turning to customisation in the engine, they added that the Italian company had brought about changes in the cooling system of the engine to deal with the change in pressure in the Middle East. An interesting feature of the car is that the front bonnet opens out like a spread bat wings, the doors open like the flapping of a seagull and the bonnet at the rear opens like a parachute opening.