Sandstorm unveils Al Reem, the first UAE-made SUV

ABU DHABI: UAE is not only one of the biggest automobile markets in the world, it is also a home to many new and flourishing car manufacturing companies as well. Sandstorm, an automobile company from the Emirates has revealed its first SUV in Abu Dhabi, naming it the Al Reem.

The Sandstorm Al Reem is the first SUV to be manufactured in the United Arab Emirates, which makes it a pioneer in the field. The company has plans to commence with the sale of this SUV within the region in 2019. That said, 1,000 units of the car will be manufactured in the first phase while 6,000 units have been planned for the second.

The Sandstorm Al Reem has a very boxy design with traits of boldness all across. All the variants will ride on 17-inch wheels. The new SUV will be available in six colour options, that are grey, gold, silver, black, white and pearl white.

On the inside, the cabin is well covered with leather upholstery on the seats and steering wheel. There is a 7-inch screen on the dashboard having voice controls, Bluetooth, and GPS. The seven-seater SUV also gets a pretty good number of safety features as well, ABS and airbags, which are given as standard.

The Sandstorm Al Reem will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine under the bonnet, which would be capable of putting in a good power of 214 hp. However, any other mechanical information beyond this is not known yet.

The founder of Sandstorm Automotive, Dr. Majida Al Azzazi, has said that the company takes absolute pride in bringing the first-ever SUV to be manufactured within the Emirates region. The new Al Reem SUV will be available in three different trim levels starting from AED 138,000. The company also plans to bring their first ever pickup truck, the S24.

A temporary assembly line will be built in the Al Rahil area of Abu Dhabi in July. The production is scheduled to begin in September.