Al Habtoor Motors Dubai UAE

"We don't consider the cars that are manufactured in series' as those of our competitors," explains Roger Ghosn, the company's marketing manager. "Bentley, Aston Martin and Bugatti are completely hand-made cars. We consider them to be unique."

It is often said that a car is the second largest investment people make after their house. And while many luxury brands are seeing a move towards more compact designs, what you get for your dollars on the most exclusive brands in the world, is a combination of luxury and performance, combined with the most stylish designs on the market today.

For example, "since its creation, Aston Martin has been a sports car with a unique appeal. A deluxe car, entirely hand-made, but sporty nonetheless,' proposes Ghosn. "Whist Bugatti is well known as the most expensive and fastest car in the world. So if we look at our high end division, I don't think we can talk about compact luxurious vehicles, but rather about luxurious vehicles and luxurious sporty vehicles."

Al Habtoor Motors is certainly in a position to offer such exclusivity, particularly with its strong market positioning - a portfolio of brand leaders in both the luxury and mass markets. Established in 1983 as the Dubai distributor for Mitsubishi and Bentley, the company soon expanded, adding Fuso (Mitsubishi's commercial division) and motor sports brand Ralliart, while expanding its operations across all seven emirates.  

With disposable incomes rising steadily in the region, a steady growth pattern has continued ever since, most recently with the addition of Temsa (luxury buses and coaches) and Bugatti in 2005. Today, the company boats seven showrooms, 10 service centres and 14 spare parts locations across the UAE.

"Usually, the car itself does not make a big profit margin. Of course we are interested in selling cars, but at the same time our aim is to keep the customer loyal to us and service their car in our workshop.

"Owning a car is fantastic. You pay money and you get something tangible. But after-sales is a service - it's not tangible. How do you evaluate an automotive dealership, if not in aftersales? Today, whether you buy a car for 40,000 or 150,000 dirhams, when you sent it to the workshop, you expect to receive a warm greeting, a quick service, special attention to your vehicle and a smooth delivery. Also seamless follow up at all times.

With over 12 years in this competitive industry, Ghosn explains, "If your car has broken down on the road, you need also to hear a smile over the phone, a vehicle to pick up your car and a transport service to drop you wherever you want to continue."

With the Habtoor Motors operations focussing on excellence in every sphere, even company employees are trained to raise customer awareness on important safety issues, such as the dangers of using counterfeit spare parts and accessories - an endemic reality worldwide, which results in poor performance and impinges on any car's value.

For the future too, after sales prowess remains at the core of the company's growth strategy. "We are planning to expand more, not only in sales but also in services." States Ghosn. "We have one of the biggest workshops in the GCC, in which we can service more than 400 cars a day.

"Now we are building two new service centres - one dedicated only for luxurious brands and one for mass market cars. We are also working on enhancing our performance, and to help and assist our people. We are also on a continuous level of appraisal and assessment of all our departments."

Look forward also to some additions to the Al Habtoor Motors brand portfolio in 2008, hints Ghosn. While details of the new brands are under wraps for the time being, they will be in both the mass market and luxurious or high end division. For those interested, watch this space.