Bufori makes heads turn in NY

By JOHAN FERNANDEZ in New York

IT CERTAINLY made head turns at the New York International Auto Show. Yes, Malaysia’s Bufori’s Mk III made its debut in the 113th edition of the auto show to overwhelming response. 

“It's just phenomenal,” said Edward W. Jacobs, president of Bufori of America LLC, the company marketing the car in the US. 

He should know, having spent a good part of his life dealing in cars and motor products. 

This is the third and final of the three major auto shows in the US, the first two in Detroit (said to be the biggest show) and Los Angeles, had already been here. 

“We had to bring the cars here for the New York Auto Show; otherwise, we would have lost a valuable opportunity to showcase the car to the American market,” said Jacobs.  

Matrade Commissioner Jalaludin Hussain with Edward Jacobs in front of the Bufori Mk III

And what a rush it was to get the two cars, the Bufori Mk III Lajoya, which will be known in the US as just Bufori Mk III, here on time. In fact, the cars arrived in the evening, the day before the show opened on Friday. 

Edward Jacobs' son Jeffrey W. Jacobs, director (USA sales) of Bufori of America LLC, shared the sentiments of his father. 

“We are just happy to have it here. The car is so different that it is a hit here,” he said. 

“The response here is so good. Imagine: this is only one city. Just think when we take it to other cities,” he added. 

One would have expected the two Bufori models to be dwarfed among the giants of the motor industry that took lots of space and showcased all their models as well as futuristic hybrid vehicles. 

The auto show, which drew tens of thousands of visitors a day, was very popular with all the major motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors around the world represented here.  

The two cars on display, one a sapphire blue and the other a silver and red, caught a lot of attention of motor enthusiasts. 

The cars were in an enclosure and only serious buyers got to get a feel of it. 

Jeffrey said that since the show started, there had been enquiries from 15 to 20 serious buyers every day. (There is a log book of serious enquiries). 

“These serious buyers know what they are looking for. And since the Bufori is new, they want to know where the car comes from as well as details of the body, power, where was the design and concept developed, engine and other things serious buyers want to know,” he said. 

Asked whether they were surprised that the car was made in Malaysia, Jeffrey said: “They seemed to know about Malaysia and they were very impressed with the car.” 

Bufori of America will have its head office in South Barrington in Illinois, just outside Chicago. 

Jeffrey said that all cars, including exotic cars, had to meet stringent standards. 

Bufori used the services of a German company to ensure that the car met all the requirements. 

“We have an allocation of 100 cars for this year and I am confident we will have no problem selling them based on the tremendous response we received. 

“The first car is expected to arrive in New York in August,” he said. 

Jeffrey said they planned to have between 10 and 12 dealers, all of whom hold multi-brand names, before the end of the year. 

“At present, I am working on getting the dealers as well as organising the after sales service. 

The base price of the Bufori is US$110,000 while the car with the supercharged engine will cost US$120,000. 

Edward said that the car had also caught the attention of the media. 

“CBS has filmed the car to be shown later. Fox News Channel had shown the car on the news. Besides this, a company that shoots pictures for Wall Street financial reports and publications are talking to us for a photo shoot of the vehicles for the covers of the reports. 

“All this is good publicity and it could be a hit with the people on Wall Street,” said Edward. 

What makes the Bufori stand out is that except for the drive train, electronics and certain components shared with other luxury cars, it is crafted entirely by hand and to the detailed specifications of the buyer. 

This means that the Bufori can be tailored to include almost any option imaginable, from precious stones embedded in the instrument panel to rare Persian carpets. 

The first Bufori was built in 1986 by three brothers of Lebanese descent Gerry Khouri and his elder brothers Anthony and George. 

Four years ago, the brothers moved their production and research and development operation to Malaysia from Australia.