Lucerne Switzerland

Inside Lucerne’s thriving tourism industry

Switzerland’s regional tourism sector made a strong comeback this year, with the appeal of places such as Lucerne – specifically among UAE visitors – firmly on the rise. Here’s how its local tourism board is responding

Nicola Andreatta, CEO of Roger Dubuis

Interview: Nicola Andreatta, CEO of Roger Dubuis

Geneva-based Roger Dubuis is a bold watchmaker which will readily break away from the norm. And CEO Nicola Andreatta wouldn’t have it any other way

UAE-based multi-brand electric vehicle platform EV Lab, has partnered with with Croatian electric hyper manufacturer, Rimac Automobili to bring Rimac’s Nevera to Dubai. Nevera, the world’s fastest accelerating production EV, is now on display for the remainder of Expo 2020 at the Croatia Pavilion, which visitors can preview. EV Lab will act as the sole distributor for the ultra-exclusive Nevera and revealed that the first test drives for the MENA region will be taking place in Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit in February 2022. The Nevara is powered by a quad-motor drivetrain, where each motor powers one wheel individually. When combined, the wheels produce 1,914 horsepower, which is enough to accelerate the car from 0-60 miles per hour in just 1.85 seconds. In addition, the Rimac Nevera has set a new world record for production car acceleration, covering the quarter-mile in just 8.582 seconds. The Nevera is the production-ready iteration of the Rimac C_Two, first announced in 2018. It has been designed, engineered, tested and manufactured in-house at Rimac’s global headquarters in Croatia. “The electric vehicle market has grown - even with the pandemic. We’ve seen 72 per cent growth over 2020,” said Kevin Chalhoub, founder and CEO at EV Lab “Just look around. Electric charging stations are readily available here in the UAE. We are at the forefront of technology and innovation which is why it is really great we are able to launch here are Expo 2020.” “Our goal is to showcase that electric vehicles are not only sustainable but also at the forefront of technology as Rimac is doing just that with the first electric hypercar company in the world. Paying homage to Expo 2020 key themes of Mobility, Sustainability and Opportunity, the Rimac Nevera will be on display at Expo 2020 until March 31, 2022.” After starting Rimac Automobili in 2011 with just a handful of people, CEO Mate Rimac has grown the company from a specialist component manufacturer to a series production hypercar and technology powerhouse, which employs over 1,300 dedicated employees. Recently, Rimac and Bugatti joined forces under the new company – Bugatti Rimac – combining Bugatti’s heritage of design and engineering with Rimac’s technology.

UAE’s EV Lab brings world’s fastest accelerating production EV to Dubai

The car is on display at the Croatia pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

An insider’s guide to Madrid

Spain has opened its doors to international tourists, and especially welcomed visitors from the GCC region. Here’s what you can do in one of its most popular cities

Abu Dhabi’s G42 to start first driverless car trials in Mideast

Group 42’s Bayanat unit will begin with five cars on Yas Island

Hind Seddiqi, director general of Dubai Watch Week

What to expect at Dubai Watch Week 2021

The fifth edition of the Dubai Watch Week returns this month, and it’s the biggest one yet. Hind Seddiqi, director general of the event, shares a few insights

Lincoln Navigator

Lincoln Middle East reports best sales figures in six years

Its lineup includes the Corsair, Nautilus, Aviator and Navigator

Museum of the Future Dubai

Dubai wins hosting rights for ICOM 2025, world’s largest conference for museums

The theme for the event will be The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities

Lotus Emira

How Lotus plans to accelerate its operations within the Middle East

The British sports car manufacturer recently brought their latest offering, the Emira, to the Middle East

McLaren F1

Audi weighs tie-up with McLaren to enter F1 after initial offer

The manufacturer plans to study the financials of McLaren in the coming weeks to help decide on potential transactions

Dubai’s Danube Home reveals date for annual sale

The promotion will offer discounts of up to 90 per cent

NBA Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi signs multi-year agreement to host NBA games starting 2022

The partnership also involves opening Jr. NBA Leagues for boys and girls at schools across the UAE

BMW and Audi may have McLaren in their sights

BMW will hold talks with Bahrain’s Mumtalakat, which controls McLaren, at the beginning of next month

Manarat-Al-Saadiyat

Submissions open for Nat Geo’s Abu Dhabi Young Photographer of the Year competition

Open to those between the ages of 16-21, the theme for this year’s competition is ‘Yellow Through My Eyes’

Saudi Arabia chases $64bn Hollywood dream

The kingdom is launching its first international film festival

Vincent Wijnen, Senior Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Automotive officially opens Al-Futtaim Automall in DIP

Five minutes with Vincent Wijnen, senior managing director at Al-Futtaim Automotive

Al-Futtaim Automotive reportedly has around a 40 per cent market share in the UAE

Hertz says it’s already receiving Teslas; doesn’t address Musk tweet

The rental-car company unveiled its EV initiative last week

Nasif Siddiqi, Managing Director, Infiniti International Markets

Five minutes with Nasif Siddiqi, managing director of Infiniti International Markets

How Infiniti plans to continue its focus on the Middle East as one of its key global markets

Tokyo

Japan National Tourism Organization opens first Middle East office in Dubai

By 2030, Japan aims to attract 60 million visitors with a JPY 15 trillion consumption annually

Geneva aerial view Switzerland

Exploring Switzerland: Lucerne, Interlaken and Geneva

As Switzerland opens to quarantine-free travel for residents of the GCC, here are some of the most popular sights to take in and things to do in Interlaken, Lucerne and Geneva

Abu Dhabi Formula 1 GP

Abu Dhabi’s Formula 1 GP to be held at full capacity

Those who attend will be required to present a Green Pass through the Al Hosn app and a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours to enter the venue

Nissan Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai: Exclusive parking spots for Nissan vehicle owners

The dedicated parking slots will be available at the Mobility and Sustainability parking zones

Tesla-Hertz blockbuster deal paves way to take EVs mainstream

Hertz gets to tap into the growing interest in electric vehicles

Dubai Mushrif National Park

Dubai Municipality completes first phase of 50km mountain-bike track in Mushrif National Park

The first phase has a 20km three-metre-wide track with a capacity to accommodate over 3,000 cyclists per day

Mysk Moon Retreat

Shurooq opens Mysk Moon Retreat glamping destination in Sharjah

It also unveiled four new hospitality projects in the emirate

LEXUS LX600

Lexus unveils new flagship LX600 in Dubai

It will be available with a 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine

Interview: Antonio Calce, CEO of Greubel Forsey

Antonio Calce was appointed as CEO of Greubel Forsey only a few months ago – and he’s already rolled out a comprehensive strategy to future-proof the La Chaux-de-Fonds experimental watchmaker

Nissan showcases its first all-electric crossover, Ariya, at Expo 2020 Dubai

Nissan aims to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050

Madame Tussauds Dubai

Madame Tussauds Dubai opens to visitors

It features seven themed zones and over 60 lifelike wax figures

Rivoli Vision

Rivoli launches dedicated eyewear division in the GCC

Rivoli Vision expects 100 stores to be opened by early 2022 across its three eyewear retail concepts: Avanti, Rivoli Eyezone and Style 88