This was disclosed yesterday by Guenther Seemann, managing director of BWM Group in the Middle East.

The company has been looking for the “mid-term and long-term” alternate energy solutions since 1970. It had to do a lot of homework since “our customers do not accept any short-term solutions”, said Seemann, who is on a short visit to Qatar.

“We started developing hydrogen engines and we proved” that the green energy is suitable for the premium cars. With hydrogen, which is “obtained from the solar energy and water, you get more power (than a petrol engine) with no disadvantage”, the official said.

Besides, the hydrogen sources are infinite.

The company will first use hydrogen engines in its top of the range 7 Series cars in two years. Other models will be added later.

BMW has always been a trendsetter in introducing revolutionary and innovative features, he noted.

For instance, it pioneered the use of navigation tools and night vision technology in its cars.

“The company constantly works on introducing smart technology”, said Ahmed M Sorour, senior vice-president of Alfardan Automobiles (AA), which represents the BMW Group in Qatar.

Ever since AA took over the distributorship of BMW in Qatar 10 years, the sales of the premium cars had been soaring, the officials said.

From merely 20 cars in 1995, last year AA sold “more than 900” units.

For this year, “I would love to see four digit sales”, Seemann said. The country, which is currently booming, has a huge potential.

The target is clearly achievable considering that the sales grew 24% in 2005 over the previous year, they pointed out. It is much more than the company’s global growth of 10%.

Worldwide, it sold 1.2mn cars and hopes to sell 1.4mn units by 2008, the MD said.

This year, BMW will be launching two new models - 3 Series Convertibles and coupes.

The innovative strategy of introducing “service inclusive” prices had helped improve the sales, the officials said. Under the scheme, customers enjoy free service for three years or up to 60,000km. The service is available for longer periods as well.

The remarkable growth in sales in Qatar over the last 10 years had been possible because of the support of the Alfardan family, Seemann said. Both BMW and the Alfardan family share the same vision, he added.

When BMW chose AA in 1996 to be its dealer here, AA had no experience at all in selling cars. But, like BMW, “Alfardan family too does well whatever it undertakes to do”.

AA started car business by opening a showroom in a five-star hotel with just two cars. Eventually, it invested millions of riyals in brand new showrooms and service facilities.

Now, Qatar has become the benchmark for BMW dealerships, Seemann said.