W Motors

W Motors SAL
Industry Automotive
Founded Lebanon (July 11, 2012 (2012-07-11))
Founders Ralph R. Debbas
Sari El Kahalil[1]
Headquarters Dubai, UAE
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Luxury automobiles
Owner Ralph R. Debbas
Number of employees
 51-200
Website www.wmotors.ae

W Motors is a Dubai-based car company, established originally in Beirut, Lebanon in 2012 by Ralph R. Debbas. W Motors was the first Lebanese manufacturer of sports cars,[2] and is the first Middle-East-based manufacturer of luxury sports cars, or supercars.[3][4]

History

Development of the W Motors brand took seven years.[2][5] European auto manufacturers Carrozzeria Viotti, Magna Steyr, RUF Automobile and StudioTorino were involved in W Motors's development.[2][4] Initial investment topped US$13 million,[2] some of which came from FFA Private Bank of Lebanon, who became a stakeholder in the company.[5] W Motors founder Ralph Debbas has a master's degree in automotive design.[5][6]

W Motors was founded in Lebanon in May 2012.[7][8]

A Lykan HyperSport photographed at Port Hércule in Monaco

W Motors launched its first prototype model, the Lykan HyperSport at the Qatar International Motor Show in January 2013.[9] Shortly thereafter, the company moved its headquarters to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[5]

Also in 2013, Universal Studios ordered twelve Lykan HyperSport stunt cars to appear in the film Furious 7;[5] it is the most expensive car ever featured in the Fast and the Furious films,[10] though the vehicles seen on screen do not have the carbon fiber chassis, diamond accents or other super-luxury touches that production models of the Lykan HyperSport do. The Lykan HyperSport's first pre-production model debuted at the Dubai International Motor Show on 5 October 2013.[9]

Other venues where the Lykan HyperSport was displayed include the Dubai International Boat Show[11] in the United Arab Emirates; the Historical, Vintage, and Classical Cars Museum[12] in Kuwait; an Cohen&Cunil[13] in Marbella, Spain.

The road-ready model of Lykan HyperSport premiered at Top Marques Monaco in April 2014.[8] The Lykan HyperSport officially went on sale in December 2014.[14] Officially limited to 7 units,[4][5] the HyperSport is priced at $3.4 million and is manufactured in Torino, Italy.[2][10]

Founder Debbas announced in April 2015 that W Motors would be opening an automotive design academy, W Design School, in 2017. Also in April 2015, Furious 7 debuted, featuring the Lykan HyperSport.[4]

Project CARS, a motorsport racing simulator video game developed by Slightly Mad Studios and distributed by Bandai Namco Games, released the Lykan HyperSport as its first downloadable content (DLC) vehicle in May 2015.[15] As of 2016, the Lykan HyperSport has also been included in eleven other video games, including Driveclub and Forza Motorsport 6 in January 2016 as DLC.[4][16]

In June 2015, the Abu Dhabi police force purchased a Lykan HyperSport.[3][17]

Present

W Motors has a three-person automotive design team as of 2012, all graduates of the transportation design degree program at Coventry University.[7] It operates several facilities in Europe, with its main production facility in Torino, Italy,[5] and has collaborated with international partners and suppliers from the automotive industry, including Magna Steyr, StudioTorino, Ruf Automobile, Novasis Ingegneria, ID4Motion,[18] and the University of Tokyo in the technical field, and Franck Muller Watches and Quintessentially Lifestyle Concierge Services in the luxury field.[9]

The company's second model, the Fenyr SuperSport, debuted in November 2015.[5] Two SUV models, which will be built in the UAE and have a price range of US$200–300K, where set to debut in April 2016, at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.[5] A sedan, whose model name has not yet been announced, was scheduled to debut in 2015 or 2016; it will have a US$200,000 retail price.[4]

W Motors plans to relocate its factories and manufacturing facilities to the port city of Jebel Ali in the UAE sometime in 2016.[5][14] The plant is expected to make over 200 cars per year by 2017, when production of the sedan and SUV lines will have begun.[6] It will be the first automotive manufacturing facility in the region with on-site R&D, including a test track.[14]

Models

Lykan HyperSport

Rear view of the Lykan HyperSport

The Lykan HyperSport is powered by a flat 6-cylinder 3.7-litre (3746 cc) twin-turbo mid-rear engine, developing 552 kW (770 bhp) and 960 N·m (708 lb·ft) of torque,[19] claiming 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds with a maximum speed of 395 km/h (245 mph).[20] It features a holographic display with interactive motion and tactile interaction. LED headlights are made up of a titanium blade encrusted with diamonds and the taillights with sapphires, a 24 hour concierge service is also available from Quintessentially.

Fenyr SuperSport

In 2013, W Motors announced it would manufacture a second line of supercars, that was later unveiled as the $1.85 million Fenyr SuperSport. A supercar with a production limited to 25 units per year,[3][21][22] a special focus on high-performance and more discreet luxury details when compared with the ones Lykan HyperSport is known for.[21] The Fenyr SuperSport will feature a 4.0L twin-turbocharged Flat-6 with 900 hp (670 kW; 910 PS) and 810 lb·ft (1,100 N·m), with a 0–60 mph performance time of 2.7 seconds, and a top speed over 245 mph,[21][23] and will have a curb weight of approximately 1,200 kg.[24] The Fenyr Supersport was unveiled at the 2015 Dubai International Motor Show.[5]

The Fenyr SuperSport is being developed in concert with an eco-friendly racecar program fostered by Quimera, an electric-car manufacturer.[23][24] A racing version of the SuperSport, the Fenyr SuperSport HSF, will use what W Motors is calling a "hybrid synthetic fuel" and be carbon-neutral.[23][25] The interior of the car is yet to be revealed.

Luxury Sedan

An as-yet unnamed sedan model was scheduled to debut in 2016. An estimated 100 sedans per year will be produced, each costing approximately US$50,000.00 The sedan's premiere was planned for the September 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.[4] It is unknown if this model will be released.

Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle

Two as-yet unnamed SUV models, which will be built in the UAE and have a price range of US$200–300K, were set to debut in April 2016, at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.[5] One model will have a sports-car-like focus on speed, while the other is designed to be "an off-road luxury car."[5] Unlike the more exclusive HyperSport and SuperSport models, W Motors plans to produce more than 100 units of their SUV models per year, with a significantly shorter order-to-delivery time than for their custom-built sports cars.[5] The designs were released to CNN in 2015. It is unknown if these models will be released.

Lykan Roadster

Only three of the forthcoming Lykan Roadsters will be sold out of the 5, as 2 will be used as crash tests at Texas Speedway.

W Motors released an image of the front of a vehicle similar to the current Lykan through their Instagram page, with the caption, "Can you tell what is different about this Lykan?" and, later, another from the rear, captioned, "From this angle can you tell what's the difference? Only a few of you got it right on the last post ..." Many fans saw this as possible hint that the project will go ahead. The vehicle appeared to have more carbon fibre body parts, however, W Motors later posted that, "[the difference] is scale...". The photos were of a 1:18 die cast model by Frontiart.

References

  1. ↑ Quick, Darren (6 February 2013). "W Motors unveils US$3.4 million Lykan Hypersport". gizmag.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Debass, Ralph (7 February 2015). "First Lebanese car unveiled: W Motors marks debut with Lykan HyperSport". BusinessNews.com.lb. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "A ride with diamond eyes: The first Arab supercar". CNN.com. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hoffmann, Jonas; Lecamp, Laurent (28 August 2015). Independent Luxury: The Four Innovation Strategies To Endure In The Consolidation Jungle. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 192–197. ISBN 978-1137481443. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "$1.6m Fenyr Supersport unveiled at Dubai show". ArabianBusiness.com. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  6. 1 2 Merani, Megha (1 April 2015). "Car firm behind the 'star' of Fast and Furious 7 reveals plans for UAE academy". 7Days.ae. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 Gallina, Eric (29 December 2012). "W Motors: The First Arab Supercar". FormTrends.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (14 April 2014). "770-Horsepower Lykan Hypersport Set For 2014 Top Marques Monaco Debut". Motor Authority. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 "The first Arabian supercar debuts at Dubai Motor Show". Arabian Business. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  10. 1 2 Hill, Jessica (31 March 2015). "Meet Ralph Debbas, the man behind Vin Diesel's Furious 7 Lykan Hypersport". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Genty, Emmanuel (9 November 2015). "Lykan Hypersport : l'exclusive supercar libanaise en images [Lykan Hypersport: exclusive Lebanese supercar in pictures]". lInternAute.com. CCM Benchmark Group. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  12. ↑ Clark, John. "Top 10 of the Most Expensive Cars in the World". DeWebsite. p. 4. Retrieved 29 September 2015. (Lykan HyperSport is mentioned on page 4 of the article)
  13. ↑ "El coche más caro del mundo llega a España [The most expensive car in the world comes to Spain]". Europa Press (news agency). 28 May 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Nagraj, Aarti (31 March 2015). "New Supercar Making Facility in Dubai To Start Production In 2016". GulfBusiness.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  15. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (30 March 2015). "Gorgeous Racing Game Project Cars Getting Free DLC Every Month". GameSpot.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Forza Motorsport - Polo Red Car Pack". www.forzamotorsport.net. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  17. ↑ Hard, Andrew (3 June 2015). "Abu Dhabi police enlist 770-horsepower, $3.4 million Lykan Hypersport into patrol duty". DigitalTrends.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "Arab World's First Sports Car to be Unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show 2013". QatarMotorShow.gov.qa. 2013. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Specifications". W Motors. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  20. ↑ Mills, James (3 February 2013). "Car of the week: W Motors Lykan HyperSport". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  21. 1 2 3 Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (13 November 2013). "First Look At W Motors' Next Model, The Fenyr SuperSport". Motor Authority. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "2015 W Motors Lykan SuperSport Car Reviews & Specs". DuPont Registry. Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  23. 1 2 3 Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (22 January 2015). "W Motors Teams Up With Quimera To Develop Eco-Friendly Race Car". Motor Authority. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  24. 1 2 Anderson, Brad (23 January 2015). "More Lykan Supersport Details Revealed". GTspirit.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  25. ↑ Edelstein, Stephen (23 January 2015). "W Motors goes green with 1,000-plus HP Lykan Supersport HSF". DigitalTrends.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.

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