Dubai's Ultimate Motors to launch 3 sports-car brands in India  

The fastest cars in the world are ready to zoom on Indian roads by the end of this year. Dubai-based Ultimate Motors, a leading global distributor of exotic and luxury sports cars, will launch three ‘Super Hyper Car’ (SHC) brands—Shelby, Zenvo and Arash—by December, reports PTI.

 

"The demand for luxury cars in India is increasing of late and people are now keen to have customised cars. We are in touch with four leading dealers in India and expect to launch the commercial SHCs by the end of this year," Ultimate Motors' president Nasser Al-Hai told PTI.

 

US-based Shelby SuperCars' Utimate Aero has been touted as the world's fastest car with a speed of 413km per hour (257mph). It can accelerate from zero to 60mph in 2.78 seconds and produces 1,183 horsepower, making it the world's most powerful car.

 

Denmark's Zenvo and UK-based Arash are also in the race to introduce their SHCs in the Indian market. Arash has a unique road-car aerodynamics whereas the Zenvo comes with a full-carbon body and steel chassis.

 

These three SHCs are priced in the range of Rs2.4 crore to Rs5.4 crore.

 

Ultimate Motors expects to sell three units of Shelby, two of Zenvo and four of Arash by the end of 2010.

In recent years, India has attracted a host of global automakers, including Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Bentley and Ferrari besides the better-known BMW and Mercedes Benz. But this is first time ‘super–speed’ cars are entering the domestic market. The reason is obvious: Many of these high-end sports-car manufacturers have been impacted by the global slowdown and the consequent credit crisis.

 

These speed-monsters are usually owned by the super-rich in developed countries, but with sales dwindling in the aftermath of the slowdown, manufacturers are now looking at newer markets like India, which has remained largely unaffected by the credit crunch.

 

Despite announcing a slew of new models, many luxury automakers are still hesitant to take them to showrooms in the current market scenario. Many of the new models seen at the recent car shows may never be built and would remain only in glossy brochures. According to media reports, it is doubtful whether niche super-car producer Pagani will proceed with the production of its $1.97 million (estimated price) ‘Zonda R’ which has a V12 engine that gives 602kW/750hp. It is also uncertain whether McLaren will go ahead with the launch of its super-sports car, P11, next year.