Can you tell more about yourself and how you came to be a part of the automotive industry? I grew up in UAE and spent my early schooling years here. The rugged 4x4s and huge American sedans were a common sight in the early 90s. I could identify every brand, every model on the road and that fascination ended up being a passion that eventually led me to doing an engineering degree in automobile. How important is the Middle East market for Peugeot? What are the company’s plans for this region?PSA’s ‘Push to Pass’ strategic plan is the first step towards Groupe PSA’s vision to become a global carmaker on the leading edge of efficiency and a benchmark supplier of mobility services. To achieve this objective, the Group plans to take up the major challenges facing the automotive industry, and accelerate the implementation of projects that transform growth and efficiency, particularly in digital technology. The Group’s aim is to increase its sales outside of Europe by 50 per cent by 2021 and to position its automotive brands in new markets. The Middle East market will be a major part of that plan.Can you tell us more about your distribution network in the UAE for both Peugeot and Citroen?Peugeot is represented in Dubai and Northern Emirates by Swaidan Trading and by Omeir Bin Yousef in Abu Dhabi region. Combined we have six showrooms, out of which one is the region’s first digital boutique showroom situated in Yas Mall. We are currently studying the re-entry of Citroen and DS brands in UAE by next yearYou deal with marketing for both passenger and commercial vehicles in this region. What is the relative importance that both of these segments have for Peugeot in this region? What is the percentage each contributes to Peugeot sales?The growth in GCC market is going to be phenomenal in terms of infrastructure and population. In our commercial line, our product variations allow us to provide solutions for last mile delivery, long distance logistics and VIP passenger transport. This is not a common feature for other manufacturers. Today, our commercial line contributes to over 50 percent of our total sales in the regionThe automotive industry in this region has been experiencing a lull in recent years. Most brands have shifted their focus to the commercial sector to offset the slump in the sale of passenger vehicles. Has Peugeot done likewise?The reason other brands are adding focus is that there are only two or three dominant players. There is huge room for competitive growth. New regulations, safety ratings, increasing acceptance of diesel will allow new brands to be strong players.The general perception is that Peugeot models offer value for money. What is your take on this? What differentiates Peugeot vehicles from those belonging to other brands?Our latest generation models are all equipped with the brand’s trademark i-Cockpit system. This technology offers an 8-inch capacitive touchscreen and a customizable and configurable head-up digital display, a compact steering wheel with integrated controls and an electric automatic gearbox.tiresandparts.net8MANAGING DIRECTOR AT GROUPE PSA IN THE GCC
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