Sharjah witnesses hat-trick for German car manufacturers at first regional car award

14.10.2010, Sharjah (UAE) - Cairo (Egypt) -

It was a lucky day for the German car manufacturers in general and Porsche and Mercedes Benz in specific, today at Middle East Motor Award, which took place during the Sharjah International Motor-Show in the beautiful emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates.

The German car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Porsche were able to outperform their competitors in six different categories and have each taken home three awards at the first Middle East Motor Awards (MEMA) today.

Overall, Mercedes-Benz was nominated in five categories, picking up the Best Premium Saloon section for the E-Class, and Best Luxury Saloon for its S500. Its luxury AMG arm, meanwhile, was equally acclaimed as it won the Best Premium Sports SUV category for the ML 63 AMG.

Commenting on their wins, Fadi El Aswad, Marketing Manager, Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “Our three awards in three different categories clearly show our excellence across the classes. We always strive to be the best in each class and these awards clearly reflect that ambition.�

The MEMAs were this year held alongside the International Automobile Show (IAS) at Expo Centre Sharjah. A panel of motoring experts and journalists from across the MENA region voted independently for the vehicles in 17 categories.

As patron of the awards, Vice President of the FIA and President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE Mohammed Ben Sulayem presented the trophies at the lunchtime ceremony.

Porsche was victorious across all sports categories, winning Best Sports Car for the Cayman S, Premium Sports Car for the 911 Turbo and Luxury Sports Saloon for the latest edition to its fleet – the Panamera Turbo.

“We offer something the customer can relate and aspire to and these awards underline our consistency and longevity,� said Deesch Papke, Managing Director of Porsche Middle East and Africa.

But while these high-end brands recorded the best results, the judges said all categories were highly competitive.

Other notable winners included Range Rover, which claimed the Best Premium Luxury SUV title and the Rolls-Royce Ghost – the company’s “compact� car – which was named Best Premium Luxury Saloon.

“I would like to congratulate all of the winners, many of whom fought off stiff competition to win their respective categories. The standards set by the first Middle East Motor Awards are very high, and the range of winning vehicles, not only reflects diverse consumer demand but is also an indication of how well manufacturers adapt their vehicles to meet the needs of the climate in this region,� said Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, which organised the awards.

In addition to the 15 regular awards, which also included Best Compact Car (Volkswagen Scirocco), Best Exotic Car (Ferrari 458 Italia) and Best Large Saloon (Nissan Maxima), the MEMAs included two special categories for environmentally friendly vehicles; Best Hybrid Saloon, which was won by the Lexus LS 600 HL, and Best Hybrid SUV, given to the BMW X6 Active Hybrid. There were between six and 10 vehicles nominated in all but the hybrid categories.

“It is important to recognise the efforts made by manufacturers in creating environmentally friendly cars. Hopefully these awards will highlight best practice in a rapidly emerging sector of the motoring industry,� added Al Midfa.

The partners and sponsors of the Middle East Motor Award were, Coral Beach Resort Sharjah, Air Arabia was the official Airline and Crystal Arc Gallery trophy was the co-sponsor. With the huge success of today's award the competition of becoming a sponsors for next year's edition surely already started today.

The full list of winners at the Middle East Motor Awards is:

Best Small Saloon Chevrolet Cruze
Best Mid Size Saloon Hyundai Sonata
Best Large Saloon Nissan Maxima
Best Premium Saloon Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Best Large SUV Toyota Land Cruiser
Best Mid Size SUV Volvo XC60
Best Premium Sports SUV Mercedes ML 63 AMG
Best Premium Luxury SUV Range Rover Vogue
Best Sports Car Porsche Cayman S
Best Premium Sports Car Porsche 911 Turbo
Best Luxury Saloon Mercedes S500
Best Luxury Sports Saloon Porsche Panamera Turbo
Best Premium Luxury Saloon Rolls-Royce Ghost
Best Compact Car VW Scirocco
Best Exotic car Ferrari 458 Italia

Best Hybrid Saloon Lexus LS 600 HL
Best Hybrid SUV BMW X6 Active Hybrid

Stay tuned for a more detailed coverage, more insider stories and more behind-the-curtain stories about the MEMA award and thee Sharjah International Motorshow soon here on autoarabia.org

MS