Auto firm to 'pimp' cars in Dubai

California's West Coast Customs - of MTV's ‘Pimp My Ride' fame - are set to open a production centre in Dubai, their first ever showroom and workshop outside the US.

The auto remodelling company, which gained celebrity on the popular MTV auto customisation programme, yesterday signed an AED18 million ($4.9 million) deal with Al Ghussein Automotive Investments - subsidiary of Al Ghussein Global Investments, a UAE-based investment firm.

The 20-year MENA franchise deal will see West Coast Customs (WCC) - also known as the ‘Kingz of Customs' in the US - acquire a design and production centre that is scheduled to be operational in Dubai by this summer, with customisation services set to begin at the end of June.

"The population in the Middle East and particularly in the UAE is increasing at a phenomenal pace," said Mohammed Al Ghussein, CEO of Al Ghussein Global Investments.

"More and more people are choosing to live out here and the relatively lower priced cars and petrol means that more and more people are buying into the car market. The customisation industry that exists in the region at the moment is embryonic and is generally limited to fitting mass-produced body kits to cars which results in all ‘customised' cars looking the same. We felt that the region was ready for a company... to give clients the opportunity to fully customise their cars, yachts, private jets and even homes," Al Ghussein added.

The WCC team - whose clients also include Shaquille O'Neal, Pamela Anderson, Mariah Carey and Kobe Bryant - worked on the set of ‘Pimp My Ride' to fully customise defunct cars by adding accessories and paint jobs.

"With the luxury lifestyle and love of custom-designed products that our clients have in the UAE and GCC, the potential for WCC to quickly become market leaders in this field is huge," said Rami El Malak, WCC's Middle East managing partner Rami El Malak.