tiresandparts.net9Women have recently been allowed to drive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. What impact do you think this will have on the way tyres are marketed in the Saudi market?We naturally see this as a big opportunity not only for Continental but for the automotive industry as a whole. More drivers will mean more cars on the roads and more tyres rolling. And so, combined with Saudi Arabia already being such a key market for Continental, we have inaugurated in May 2018 our first-ever national office in Jeddah to support the growing demand for our products and services in the kingdom. In our new Jeddah office, we already have Saudi female staff, helping us to understand the Saudi women audience and providing valuable input as we look to reach out to them with relevant offers and programmes. We also plan to offer special incentives and training programmes to support our local distributors and customers in the Kingdom, in order to help them promote our products among Saudi women.The UAE is a market in which tyres from many different brands are available at different price points and Continental tyres are at the pricier end of the spectrum. In what way is Continental making an effort to differentiate its tyres from those sold by other brands? As one of the largest premium tyre manufacturers in the world with more than 145 years of experience, we are committed to one goal: to bring safety to the streets without compromising driving comfort or pleasure. German engineering is also renowned worldwide for its quality and sophistication. End consumers and Point of Sales in the UAE recognise how important this German engineering is as a strong brand argument for Continental.Our current product portfolio includes our best performing tyres in the Middle East - the new Generation 6 range. Further ensuring we can significantly differentiate our offering from that of other tyre manufacturers, we are the only brand that manufacture tyres specifically for the Middle East needs. It should also be noted that in the UAE we market other brands within Continental including General Tire and Matador, which appeal to different audiences. The Matador brand caters to the light commercial vehicle segment with products designed for Middle East such as Maxilla AP.Bringing more than 100 years of experience in the 4X4 segment, General Tire will see an upgrade this year with the regional introduction of new patterns from the Grabber range. Additionally, we launched this year new summer tires from General Tire – the Altimax One range, which delivers superior performance with a primary focus on the drivers’ safety. What are the key challenges you face from a marketing perspective in the Middle East market?The interesting thing about the Middle East region is its diversity in terms of demographics, landscapes and climates across the various markets. This obviously requires us to be flexible and adaptable in terms of product focus and marketing strategies. We see this as an opportunity rather than a challenge.Equally, the Continental product range is itself extremely broad as we cater to the needs of a wide variety of clients. These clients range from private car owners to large fleets, from truck operators to port management companies. So, our marketing plans have to address all their varying requirements.And with a number of different tyre brands in our portfolio, we also have to be careful how we differentiate these in our marketing plans. We have to communicate the benefits and particular USPs of these separate brands, while reassuring customers that they can expect the same high-quality products that they have come to expect over the decades from Continental.Finally, as the second biggest supplier to the automotive industry globally, we have to communicate about the non-tyre products that have brought to the market and which can make such a positive difference to the lives of both our business and private customers. Other than ContiPressureCheckTM which we introduced in the Middle East for commercial vehicle customers last year, we have launched this year a new digital tire monitoring platform for commercial vehicles, ContiConnectTM. This efficient solution for remote tyre monitoring helps fleets to maximise efficiency and sends alerts if tyre pressure deviates from the defined value.Are there any distinctive characteristics that make this market different from other key markets in the world like Europe and North America?The key differences are the weather and the infrastructure. For instance, and as you would imagine, the GCC is an important market for summer tyres. In addition, the Middle East’s infrastructure means that we have to look at marketing tyres that are robust enough to cope with the road conditions found across the region.That is why we introduced our best-performing Generation 6 tyre range, which was developed specifically with the Middle East market in mind. It is designed for small to high performance cars, and combines advanced German technology with local expertise to deliver unmatched levels of comfort and robustness suitable for the driving conditions faced by the region’s drivers.Another key point is that in markets such as the UAE, which have an unusually high proportion of high-net-worth individuals, there is a particular interest in products catering to owners of ultra-high performance (UHP) and 4x4 vehicles.When it comes to commercial vehicle tyres, Saudi Arabia is our major market; it is thought to be close to three-million marker for truck tyres which is as big as Europe as a whole. Our commercial vehicle and truck product portfolio is extremely broad and competitive, and we are fortunate to have great relationships with our partners and importers in the local markets that ensures we can offer a strong all-round service.You are responsible for the development of region-specific products. Standards with regard to tyre quality and manufacturing dates have become increasingly stringent in the UAE. How is Continental tackling this challenge? Do you think making tyres that conform to Gulf specification norms like GSO and SASO will help?With over 100 years expertise in the automotive and tyre industry, Continental is one of the leading original equipment (OE) providers in the European market; almost every third car leaves the factory with tyres from Continental. Car manufacturers only use premium tyres that conform to the highest quality standards. Continental tyres meet all of these standards, from maximum speed to wet and dry braking, handling, comfort and noise level as well as mileage.So, we already meet the highest standards when it comes to quality and manufacturing dates, whether it be for the Middle East or anywhere else around the world. Our products already meet all relevant GCC specifications and regulations including the ones set by GCC Standardization Organization (GSO). Such standards are important as they further help protect the consumer, environment and the public health as well as develop the production and service sectors, foster the intra-GCC trade.In this market, the replacement market is more important than the OE market. How would the price be different from OE and why would customers choose this over OE?As a premium automotive brand, we take pride in offering the same high-quality standards across our product portfolio for both OE and replacement tyre markets, which have one price tag per size Our main concern and our priority focus is to deliver the highest levels of safety across all our products. We believe that customers recognise the importance of opting for high quality and safe tyres, and that this is a major reason for discerning buyers to choose Continental.Another reason for buying Continental is that we offer a product range that has been developed specifically for the Middle East region; a robust tyre that is customized to the extreme climate conditions found across much of the region, something that even OE tyres can’t lay claim to.
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