Ralph Debbas

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Ralph Debbas
Born1987 (age 38–39)[1]
Lebanon
EducationLebanese American University
Coventry University[2]
OccupationCEO of W Motors
Years active2006-present
EmployerW Motors
Known forFounding W Motors
Board member ofChairman and CEO of W Motors
Awards2009
New Designer of Excellence
Trophée de L’Argus[3]
2013
The Visionary Entrepreneur of the Year
2015
The Luxury Arab World Award
BIAF 2015 Award[4]
2019
Automotive CEO of the Year[5]
40 And Under 40[6]
WebsiteOfficial website

Ralph R. Debbas (born 1987) is a Lebanese automotive entrepreneur, designer, and businessman. He is best known as the chief executive officer of W Motors, which he founded in 2012, and the designer of the Lykan HyperSport.

Early life and education

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Debbas was born in Lebanon in 1987 to a family of industrialists.[6][7]

Debbas studied economics and began to study graphic design at the Lebanese American University.[4][8] He quit his graphic design course to study automotive design, which he studied with honours at Coventry University[4][2] after turning down an offer from the Pratt Institute in the USA.[9]

Career in the automotive industry

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Before starting development of W Motors, Debbas worked as a designer for Land Rover[10] and Aston Martin.[10][11]

In 2009, Debbas launched Wolf Design and Innovation Group (WDI Group), of which he was listed as Executive Head of Design.[12] WDI Group worked on a variety of projects including boats, furniture and interior design, consumer goods, and graphic/web design,[13] and was active in Beirut and Paris.[14]

The Lykan HyperSport, the first car produced by W Motors and the first of Debbas's production designs

He began development of W Motors and design of the Lykan in 2006,[7] and in 2008 had several design projects sponsored by the European Union.[15] W Motors was officially founded in 2012[16] with the launch of the Lykan HyperSport.[11] It is the first Middle Eastern car manufacturer, making Debbas the first automotive executive in the Middle East.[17][16] According to Debbas, the Lykan HyperSport was deliberately extravagant because:

If I had launched an affordable car from the Middle East, nobody would have talked about it… But when you create a shock by selling a $3.4m car – and back in 2013 it was the most expensive car in the world – people will talk, whether it’s negative or positive.[18]

He contributed to the design of the ICONIQ Model 7.[19] The Fenyr SuperSport followed with production beginning in 2018, but was not designed by Debbas.[20]

Debbas launched the W Motors consultancy division in 2019, which now makes up 70% of the company's business.[18] As of 2020, he owns shares and is a director of W Motors Automotive Group Holding Limited.[21] He continues as the CEO and chairman of W Motors S.A.L.[8]

Views on the automotive industry

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Debbas has often spoken on the future of the transportation industry, particularly the impact of automation and electrification on vehicle ownership and manufacture.[18]

Debbas believes that electrification of cars will become widespread and that as the development of self-driving technology advances, traditional car ownership will decline to the point were road transport is provided in a manner he compares to airlines: the role and importance of manufacturers will decline, and cars will be owned by providers.[18][22] Because of this, he predicts his son Karl (born 2016) will never need to or may be unable to own a car or hold a driver's license.[18][22]

He has stated that the Middle East has great potential for a local automotive industry, but lack of relevant knowledge in the region is a limiting factor.[23]

Awards

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Debbas has been the recipient of several business and design awards during his career.

Year Award Conferred by Ref.
2009 New Designer of Excellence ND London [2]
Trophée de L’Argus ARGUS Paris
2013 The Visionary Entrepreneur of the Year CCS [4]
2015 The Luxury Arab World Award Luxury Arab World
BIAF Award Beirut International Awards Festivals
2019 Automotive CEO of the Year CEO Middle East Awards [24]
40 And Under 40 Arabian Business [6]

Personal life

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Debbas has an extensive personal collection of cars produced in the 1990s.[18]

See also

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  • L'Argus (automobiles French magazine)

References

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