First Lebanese car unveiled

W Motors marks debut with Lykan HyperSport

At the recent Qatar Motor Show, Beirut-born car maker W Motors launched their first model, the Lykan HyperSport, with a starting price of $3.4 million.

The Lykan Hypersport is a rear-wheel-drive in the same league as the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports. With by a 750 horsepower engine, the car has a top speed of 395 km/h. Its headlights feature white gold rims encrusted with diamonds. The car’s interior boasts gold-stitched leather. Buyers have the option of integrating rubies, emeralds, or sapphires throughout the car.

Entrepreneur and car designer Ralph Debbas said the brand will boast “the world’s most luxurious sports cars.” Two car lines will be manufactured in Italy: HyperSport and SuperSport. W Motors will produce only five cars each year and deliver each car within six months from receiving an order.

Debbas had launched W Motors and announced the release of its luxury sports car line in July 2012. He said the brand will create “a niche market within the world of super-high-end cars.” The main target markets include China and the Arab countries. “Expectations are high,” he said.

W Motors was developed in cooperation with international car making experts, Italian Magna Steyr Torino and German RUF Automobile. The project took seven years of preparation. Over $13 million were invested. W Motors moved its headquarters and showroom to Dubai and launched another office in Qatar. It plans to establish a presence in Beijing and Moscow at a later stage.


Serge Trad, Sales and Marketing Manager at Saad & Trad, dealers for Lamborghini, Bentley, and Jaguar, said the new brand does not compete with any of theirs: “Any buyer who would opt for a Lykan already has over ten regular luxury and super cars.”

Trad said working on a distribution deal for this car in Lebanon could be possible on the long-run. “The brand is produced on a limited scale, and in limited models, not to mention its niche market,” he said.