By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter


The new BMW 7 Series, to be launched on October 24 (official date of sale) in Doha is expected to further boost the sales of BMW cars in Qatar, Alfardan Automobiles general manager Ihab Allam told Gulf Times.
“This is the flagship car of BMW (7 Series) and in a country like Qatar with highest GDP per capita, it always represents a good chunk,” he said. “Right now it is about 40% of our sales in the previous 7 series.”
Allam was speaking at the media preview of the BMW 7 Series held at its showroom in West Bay yesterday, ahead of the World Premier at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 15.
Alfardan Automobiles is the exclusive and official importer in Qatar for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce cars, and BMW motorcycles.
Allam expressed confidence that BMW 7 Series will achieve more promising numbers in a “very sophisticated market and with extremely knowledgeable customers in Qatar”.
“It is a pleasure to be dealing with that kind of level of clients who really understand the product,” he said.
The general manager also noted that one of the primary areas they will focus on is after sales.
“After sales they are the ones that actually make the second sale in a customer’s life cycle,” he pointed out. “First car is usually sold by a salesman, second is sold by the service adviser primarily because of the good experience and the quick turnaround time that we apply with our customers.”
Allam also welcomed the competition in the automobile industry in Qatar saying it is “very healthy and makes our life very exciting”.
 Combining state-of-the-art comfort with dynamic agility and styling, the latest version of the sophisticated BMW 7 Series will arrive in three luxury packages: pure excellence, M-Sport and individual design.
Alfardan Automobiles general manager Ihab Allam said the car has a host of industry-first technology and luxury comfort features.
“Consistently amongst BMW Group’s best-selling vehicles, the new BMW 7 Series will once again set new benchmarks within the premium segment when it arrives to Qatar later this year,” he noted.
Some of its features include enhanced refinement on the outside with elements such as the futuristic headlamp technology, BMW laser light, the light carpet and star-gazer-inspired panoramic glass “Sky Lounge” sunroof.
Inside the vehicle, superior technology offers both driver and passenger extraordinary levels of comfort and luxury.
A host of new BMW ConnectedDrive driver assistance features include the intuitive Touch Command: a 7-inch tablet positioned in the rear of the vehicle.
Through Touch Command, rear passengers are able to control in-car infotainment and comfort features, such as the new BMW 7 Series Vitality Programme, which offers luxurious in-seat massage options.
The optional Ambient Air package features options to ionise the air or fragrance the vehicle interior with selected scents, both of which can be controlled from the air conditioning control console or the iDrive menu.
There are three levels of intensity and eight scents to choose from. A unique Gesture Control function, which offers those inside the vehicle multiple options operated only by gesturing at the screen, is also one of the new technology features.
The refined model’s utmost commitment to providing high-end technology continues on the exterior, as pioneering headlamp technology, BMW Laser Light, offers a high beam range of up to 600m, double the length of regular LED headlamps. The Sky Lounge, a panoramic glass roof, offers illuminated light patterns in six colours.
The vehicle’s advanced chassis technology allows the driver to adjust the car’s set-up to preferred requirements, creating an ideal balance between sports performance and comfort. The new model also comes with two comprehensively revised engines: the 6 cylinder 740 Li and 8 cylinder 750 Li xDrive, with the latter accelerating from 0–100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds at 450 hp, and the 6 cylinder equivalent offering 326 hp, with a maximum torque of 450 Nm at 1,380 rpm.
The on-road performance of both variants is enhanced through the incorporation of BMW EfficientDynamics, such as the lightweight Carbon Core, which ensures that the car is up to 130kg lighter than its predecessor.