Local car brand unveiled

W Motors, a luxury sports car by Ralph Debbas

Entrepreneur and car designer Ralph Debbas will launch tomorrow (July 11) W Motors S.A.L, a Beirut-based automotive company. The company, owned by Ralph Debbas, is set to release a new luxury sports car line.

The brand was developed in cooperation with international car making experts, Italian Magna Steyr Torino and German RUF Automobile. The project took seven years of preparation. Over $13 million has been invested.

W Motors will manufacture its cars in Italy.

Debbas said the brand will boast “the world’s most luxurious sports cars”. The company will be launching two car lines: Hyper-sport and Super-sport. The first Hyper-sport model will be unveiled in Dubai in December.

Hyper-sport will integrate a fully functional holographic display with interactive motion. “This car is simply unique,” Debbas said.

The company will manufacture five cars each year, with delivery within six months of receiving an order, Debbas said: “Buyers will have to wait for the following year to purchase their own car if they weren’t lucky to have it the first time.”

He said the Hyper-sport model will be priced at around $3.4 million.

Debbas said the brand will create “a niche market within the world of super-high-end cars.” China and the Arab countries are target markets. “Expectations are high,” he said.

The company’s headquarters and showroom will be moved to Dubai. It will be opening offices and showrooms in Qatar in January 2013, and later in Beijing and Moscow.

Reported by Rana Freifer