BMW Group launches the "Alpina" brand in the Middle East from the UAE.

Abu Dhabi Motors and AGMC become first authorized Alpina importers in
region. German premium car manufacturer BMW Group today launched the
"BMW Alpina" brand of super-performance luxury limousines in
the UAE, making it the first country in the Middle East region to offer
Alpina cars in the independent brand's 35-year history. Alpina was
founded in 1965 as a car tuner specializing in customising BMW cars
into super-performance cars. But in 1978 it made the transition form
tuner to manufacturer after receiving permission from BMW and the
German authorities, and today produces a maximum of 900 cars a year
under the BMW Alpina brand name. "We are proud to be able to
offer our customers in the UAE, and very soon in the rest of the Middle
East, these super-performance cars which are locally tested and fully
certified and approved by the BMW Group," said Robert
Bailey-McEwan, Managing Director of BMW Group Middle East. He added
that the decision to introduce the BMW ALPINA brand in the Middle East,
starting with the Alpina B10 based on a V8 BMW 5-Series, came only after
the car had successfully passed a long phase of intensive tests and
hot-weather modifications in the region and proven to be 100 per cent
reliable. Helga Kloess, Brand Manager for Alpina at BMW Group Middle
East, pointed out that the BMW Alpina B10 will be available exclusively
in the UAE through Abu Dhabi Motors, the sole importer of BMW cars and
motorcycles in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and AGMC, his
counterpart in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. She added that she
expects 80 units of the Alpina B10 to be sold in the UAE as a whole
this year. The first few units of the Alpina B10 which were brought to
Abu Dhabi have already been sold to customers who have seen and
experienced the cars in Germany. "The Alpina customer is a
fastidious enthusiast, who appreciates first class technology and seeks
great driving pleasure from his cars. A BMW ALPINA represents the
highest performance standards in a most subtle guise. That is why the
first few units that we brought in were sold like hot cakes!"
Kloess noted. Arno Husselmann, National Sales and Marketing Manager at
Abu Dhabi Motors, said ALPINA perfectly rounds up BMW's product
line-up. "Besides the BMW 540i and the BMW M5, the Alpina B10s
performance exceeds all expectations with regards to the synthesis of
sheer sportiveness combined with the highest comfort," he added.
He pointed out that his company decided to become an official Alpina
importer after gauging the huge demand from customers in the emirate of
Abu Dhabi for this special breed of cars. Abu Dhabi Motors expects to
sell around 40 units of the B10 in 2001, especially since it is a
high-performance saloon with an automatic gearbox. "We have a lot
of loyal customers who are real BMW aficionados and have come across
the BMW Alpina brand both in magazines and during their travels to
Europe. But until now we were unable to offer them these cars because
they had not been modified for the Middle East region," Husselmann
said. Kloess noted that some Alpina cars have in the past come into
the Middle East through grey channels, not prepared for the totally
different climate conditions in the Middle East. The B10 is one
example in a long line of Alpina products. Other Alpina products are
currently still being tested and modified for the Middle East, and
Kloess expects the Alpina B3 Coupe and Cabriolet, both of which are
based on the BMW 3-Series, to be launched in the UAE in the second half
of this year. At the heart of the B10 is its 4,6 litre eight-cylinder
engine. This hand-built powerplant not only produces 347 horsepower,
but also the kind of refinement expected from a luxury car saloon. It
propels the BMW ALPINA B10 from zero to 100 kph in just 5.5 seconds and
gives it a top speed of 279 kph. The BMW ALPINA B10 is supplied
exclusively with a five-speed automatic transmission, but this does not
mean that the drive is assigned a passive role. The car is supplied
with SWITCH-TRONIC which permits the driver to change gears with
buttons on the steering wheel just as in Formula One racing. "The
benefits of this fingertip-controlled manual shift become evident during
fast acceleration or when driving the car on winding roads or at high
speed. In combination with the large powerful brakes, tuned especially
for the ALPINA, it is a joy to drive," explained Kloess. The
car's high level of standard equipment includes DSC III traction
control, head, side- and rear-airbags, on board monitor, the unique BMW
"Mallah" navigation system, cruise control, automatic climate
control, electric sports seats finished in high quality leather and
Xenon headlamps. - Ends -