São Paulo – Buggies by Paraná state-based brand Super Buggy should soon hit the streets and the sand in the United Arab Emirates. The manufacturing company, Wake Motors, based in state capital Curitiba, is at the final stage of talks with an Emirati distributor and expects to ship approximately 70 units to the Middle Eastern country by the end of this year, according to one of the company’s partners and New Business director, Fabiano Isoppo.
The automobile made by Wake Motors is a superior type of buggy to what the market is accustomed to. The Super Buggy is bi-fuel, i.e. may run on ethanol or petrol, boasts a Volkswagen 1.6 litre, 104 horsepower engine, a five-gear transmission, is convertible, has a maximum speed of 180 kilometre per hour, travels 19 km per litre (petrol) on the road and 15 km in the city, and even has air conditioning. The lowest going price in Brazil is R$ 60,900. For the time being, the company only offers one model, Way.
The automobile started being developed in 2009 and was launched on the market in 2012. “The buggy had its heyday in the 60s, 70s and 80s. In the 90s, it began to decline,” says Isoppo, adding that this was so because buggies did not keep up with the technological advances of the auto industry. “We have decided to make a quality buggy,” says the director. The idea was to cater to all audiences, including women.
Wake Motors makes 40 to 50 units each month, but has ambitious production and market targets. According to Isoppo, the goal is to have micro-assembly lines scattered throughout the world, including the Middle East, more specifically Iran. The idea is to establish them in tandem with local partners and become a worldwide landmark in super-buggy manufacturing.
The Super Buggy started being exported late last year, and units have been shipped to Mexico, Angola and Spain. To Angola alone, the company should send 180 buggies this year. Sales to Mexico should amount to 150 units. Most foreign sales are made to distributors rather than end customers. The New Business director believes there is room for exporting 200 buggies per year to Dubai, in the Emirates.
According to Isoppo, Wake Motors also has deals underway in Nigeria, Portugal, Croatia, United States, Poland, Chile, Argentina and Spain. The foreign market accounts for roughly 10% of the company’s output, but the goal is to increase the rate to 30%, says the director. in the Arab world, there is interest in the vehicle in Algeria, and quotations have been requested by potential buyers in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco, says Isoppo.
Wake Motors’ buggy is fit for the city, country and sand. According to Isoppo, it was designed to compete not with other buggies, but with luxury sports cars instead. The company will be at the Automobile Salon this year, due from October 30th to November 9th at Anhembi Convention Centre, São Paulo.
The company was founded by three partners, Isoppo, who handles the marketing, Marcos Celestino, a mechanical engineer and Jonas Ziemer, designer.
Contact:
Super Buggy
www.superbuggy.com.br
Tel: (+55 41) 3276-5712
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
