Erbil Auto Show Sells Most Expensive Car in Kurdistan

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Erbil Auto Show Sells Most Expensive Car in Kurdistan

15/03/2012 03:49:00By HAWAR ABDULRAZAQ and HEVIDAR AHMED

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A car presenter at one of the booths of the Erbil International Auto Show. Photo by Asaad Akan/Rudaw.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- The Erbil International Auto Show, held last week, showcased the latest models of Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Land Rover and Hamann cars. The organizers of the four-day event say it was the most visited fair in Erbil.

Eighty-five companies from 18 countries participated in the show.

Rawand Yasin, manager of the Mihtab Company, said they succeeded in bringing the German-based company Hamman to Erbil.

“We brought Porsche cars and sold them at the fair,” said Yasin, who added they plan to bring Ferraris and Lamborghinis to Kurdistan as well.

An interesting feature of the auto show was the presence of showgirls from Turkey, who attracted the attention of visitors.

Ayden Gokdemir, a representative of Mercedes Benz in Kurdistan, said they brought the showgirls in keeping with the custom in auto shows elsewhere in the world, “but it is new for Kurdistan.”

Inike was one of the showgirls at the Mercedes Benz section. She said she did not feel much difference between the event in Erbil and other places she has been to.

“People have good information about our cars and, just as at other auto shows, people wanted to take pictures with us,” she said.

Gokdemir said that a Mercedes ML car was sold for $660,000 at the fair, the first of its type to be purchased in the Middle East.

Abdullah Amed, supervisor of the Erbil International Exhibition, said around 10,000 to 15,000 people visited the auto show each day, the highest number of visitors to an exhibition held in Erbil.

“This shows that Kurds like cars and want to know about the latest developments in the field,” said Ahmed. “It also shows that people’s economic conditions are better in Kurdistan.”

Ahmed Kiswani, general manager of the Carzone Company which represents Nissan in Iraq, called the auto show “exemplary.”

“There was a strong competition between different manufacturers to present their best cars. I consider this the best exhibition in Iraq,” said Kiswani.

Many visitors complained about the high prices of cars available at the auto show. Amira Rafayi, who came from Kirkuk with her husband to visit the show, said, “There are many beautiful cars here but they are expensive.” She visited the Erbil auto show to purchase a car.

Sarbast Akram, who displayed a Land Rover and Jaguar in his section, said they sold $1 million worth of cars during the auto show. Among his customers was a woman who bought a sports model Jaguar.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/business/4525.html