Life & Style | Motoring
Audi celebrates 100 years in business
The Middle East will remain a strong market for automobiles but a top executive of European car manufacturers warned that any thought of dumping vehicles in the region would be 'silly'.
- By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:45 December 18, 2008
Muscat: The Middle East will remain a strong market for automobiles but a top executive of European car manufacturers warned that any thought of dumping vehicles in the region would be 'silly'.
"We have had strong sales in the last two months and in coming months, growth would continue," Jeff Mannering, managing director of Audi Middle East, told Gulf News during the Audi's 100 year anniversary held at the Shangrilla's Bar Al Jizza Resort and Spa in Muscat.
He added that although the global meltdown has affected the industry worldwide, people in the Middle East region still have cash. And "cash is the king so it would be up to the manufacturers how to consolidate their position," he said.
He added that "dumping volumes in this market would not be the right thing to do, it would be silly do that."
He said Audi had 21 per cent growth in 2008 with 7,500 units sold in the market.
"With the current econ-omic situation and low oil prices, growth will defin-itely slow down in the GCC in 2009 but with conservative strategy we aim to consolidate our position," said the Australian chief of Audi in the Gulf.
"2009 will provide as much excitement as it would a challenge for the brand with the four rings. Not only will Audi be celebrating its 100th anniversary, but will also launch several new models including the new Audi A6, RS 6 and Q5 to keep on track for its medium term sales target of 10,000 vehicles per annum," he stated.
Describing the Middle East Market, he said it was different from country to country.
"This (ME) market has 11 different situation as taxes and other mechanisms were different everywhere from Syria and Egypt to Oman and Saudi Arabia," he said.
He agreed that robust growth seen in the market in the last two years would slow down but the market would remain strong for planned growth for automobile manufacturers.
"In our conservative strategy we would say that 20 per cent and up growth is reasonable," he added.
Mannering added that Audi planned production according to demand so fears of surplus products was not worrying them.
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