TOYOTA/LEXUS
Sweeping all other brands aside, Toyota and Lexus vehicles make up half of Forbes magazine's list of "10 Cars That Will Make It Past 200,000 Miles." The five are: Toyota's Yaris, Sienna, FJ Cruiser and Tundra (V-6), and the Lexus LX. "No other brand comes close," Faisal Abdalla, VP, Abdul Latif Jameel Company (ALJ), said. "The fact that Toyota totally dominates the list is a true reflection of the confidence in the reliability and longevity of Toyota and Lexus models by car owners worldwide - and these are very important values since for most people buying a car is major purchase that must be viewed as a long-term investment." Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) believes that what sets the brand above the rest is a commitment to building quality vehicles and pioneering technologies that make them cleaner and safer. In addition, TMC takes pride in the skills and talents of its designers, developers, engineers and suppliers, as well as the strength and breadth of its worldwide network of dealerships. ALJ has been the sole distributor of TMC brands in the Kingdom for more than half a century. The legendary partnership between the two automotive giants is based on a policy of "The customer comes first" and is supported by ALJ 's renowned commitment to service excellence.
AL-JABR/KIA
Al-Jabr Automotive, the sole distributor in Saudi Arabia for Kia Motors, hosted a career competition for the “Best Service Adviser” in order to motivate employees and enhance their skills and potential, and uncover their talents and abilities, in Dammam recently. The terms and conditions of the contest, considered the first of its kind in the Middle Eat, were critical where competitors were expected to show ability to work under pressure, excellent customer service and full knowledge of all issues related to maintenance and after sales services. Participants in the competition went through a set of practical tests, including written examination, practice test and scene presentations, which included operational steps. The winner of this local contest is qualified for participation in the World Championship for the Best Service Adviser in Korea. In addition, the winner will receive a certificate recognized by Kia Motors. More than 50 young contestants took part. In addition to winning the event's grand prize, valuable awards and medals were handed to participants who excelled at the event. "Al-Jabr Automotive seeks to continue developing company's performance in the best interest of its customers by taking their suggestions into consideration," said Mujahid Khalid, GM, Kia Service. Omar Jabr, VP, Kia Service, said: "The objective of the competition is to discover talent of our youth and offer them opportunities to enter into highly competitive Saudi labor market."
ACXIOM
Acxiom Corporation, a recognized leader in marketing services and technology, showed strong performance in Forrester Research Inc.'s recent evaluation of US database marketing service providers. Acxiom, which achieved the highest rating in the “Market Presence” category, had overall positive results with significant increases in eight of the 10 capability categories evaluated. The company also improved in current offering and strategy, both evaluation categories, with one of the top scores in current offering. The January 2011 report, "The Forrester Wave: US Database Marketing Services Providers Q1, 2011," states that the company "demonstrated surprising nimbleness in modernizing its offering and arguably leads the industry with its digital solutions." The report, which evaluated eight major database marketing service companies, said Acxiom continues to deliver some of the industry's largest and most complex database solutions. "We're pleased that the Forrester Wave report acknowledges the business transformation our company started over a year ago," said Acxiom CEO John Meyer. "It shows that our services and capabilities, including a unique capability model that raises the bar in audience and customer engagement, are best-in-class and driving significant value for our clients." Acxiom MENA CEO Yousef Hamidaddin said: "The Middle East currently spends $11 billion annually on advertising and marketing. Expenditures on direct marketing comprises less than 1 percent of total advertising spend."
APSCO
Arabian Petroleum Supply Company Ltd.-APSCO (Mobil) held its annual meeting at Obhur in north Jeddah, in the presence of Mohammed Ali Alireza, the company's MD, and a number of senior officials and staff of the company. The meeting discussed the company's goals achieved in the past year as well as the ambitions and goals intended to be achieved in 2011. The meeting coincided with the 50th anniversary of the company where it was a good opportunity to reaffirm the values behind half a century since APSCO's inception. In his speech, Mahmoud Mustafa Shabglo, strategic planning and projects director, affirmed the objectives that APSCO pursues through 2011, pointing out that everyone in the company is determined, as usual, to implement all planned projects in precision and perfect ways. Meanwhile, Khalid Al-Tayeb, general manager of lubricates department, presented a brief about the success of its 2010 campaign, and talked about the company's strategies and objectives for 2011. In addition, Al-Tayeb presented the lubricants department's honorary shield to Mohammad Ali Alireza in recognition of his continued support to the lubricants department, which had a deep impact in achieving the desired objectives. On the occasion, members of the staff who served the company for 5 to 20 years were honored among other workers for their remarkable performance during 2010.
INFINITI ETHEREA
Making its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the Infiniti Etherea Concept re-imagines the compact luxury car for a discerning new generation of younger buyers, while providing a glimpse of a future European Infiniti line-up where the brand's convention-defying distinctiveness reaches into the compact class for the first time. "Etherea is about a new type of luxury," said Toru Saito, corporate VP and leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit. "It is for younger buyers who do not want a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car. It is for people who want a car that defines who they are, not who their parents were." Encapsulating everything that Infiniti stands for - including no-compromise hybrid power and maximum driving pleasure - in a car 4.4m long, Etherea proposes a bold new approach to the premium compact segment. Its dynamic character and highly sculptural, near mono-volume form provide a silhouette unlike anything currently in the class. "Etherea is completely different from current luxury compact cars," said Shiro Nakamura, SVP of design. "That is appropriate for a new generation of drivers who think of themselves as different. As an exploration into what a future entry-level Infiniti may be like, Etherea is highly significant and a breakthrough in what Infiniti thinks about itself." Francois Bancon, GM, Exploratory and Advanced Product, said: "We think the market - and buyers of compact cars - is ready for a car like this, especially in Europe."
BAHRAIN BOAT SHOW
Due to the recent events in Bahrain and around the region, the Third Annual Bahrain International Boat Show, which was scheduled from April 27-30 at Amwaj Marina, Bahrain, has been postponed until later this year. Wael Juju, organizer of the show, said: "The Bahrain Boat Show is a unique event here in the Kingdom, with a direct positive impact on the economy and the people of Bahrain, and we are committed to ensuring we deliver the best show possible. With respect to recent events however, it has been decided that the boat show will better serve Bahrain if it is postponed until later this year. We are currently in talks with the relevant authorities to identify a suitable time, and once the details have been agreed, we will be making an announcement to that effect. We look forward to staging the widely anticipated third edition of the Bahrain International Boat Show in support of Bahrain and its ongoing growth in the years to come." The Bahrain International Boat Show brings with it a number of key benefits for the country and the community, encouraging local spending in Bahrain by visitors to the show, providing young Bahrainis with new and exciting work opportunities and supporting local boating and marine lifestyle companies, an aspect that Bahrain has been proud of for generations.
HP SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia is expected to lead and accelerate the recovery of the region's ICT) sector in 2011 driven by increased investments in the public sector, a revival in consumer sentiment, and a stronger focus on driving efficiencies within the enterprise. The country's ICT sector was the focus among leading industry analysts, local and international technology companies and CIOs at the HP Instant-On Conference, organized by HP Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on Monday. Among the analysts presentations were IDC Middle East giving an update on the Saudi infrastructure development, and Gartner on debunking the myth of the single-vendor network. According to HP Saudi Arabia's research, three quarters of business leaders say their technology department is a fundamental enabler of their business' success while 84 percent of business leaders say that innovation is critical to their business success in this new world. The conference provided latest solutions and products by HP and its key global partners including Microsoft, SAP, vmware, and Avaya. "This event is the biggest HP event held in Saudi Arabia and is a testament of HP's commitment to the Kingdom, and to be an essential part of its IT sector growth, which is estimated to be worth $4.6 billion by 2014," said Ziad Mortaja, MD and enterprise business GM, HP Saudi Arabia. "HP has a vision for our clients - to help them become an Instant-On Enterprise, a company, a government that responds to the needs of its customers and citizens in instants."
GM
General Motors (GM) Middle East registered year-over-year sales growth of 21 percent in February with total sales of 9,907 vehicles in the region across its three brands - Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC. The growth was driven by an increase in retail sales - purchases made by individual customers - of 42 percent across GM's range of cars, pickups and utilities. Sales increases were registered across the region with the greatest rise recorded in Iraq, GM Middle East's second largest market, where sales doubled. Chevrolet made significant gains during the month with sales up 44 percent. The popularity of Chevrolet cars, driven by the Aveo, Cruze and Malibu, continues to rise with sales up 68 percent in February. Sales were also boosted by strong growth of the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup, doubling its sales during February. Other GM models that experienced significant sales growth included the Chevrolet Suburban (up 32 percent), the Chevrolet Traverse (up 19 percent), the GMC Sierra (up 59 percent) and the Cadillac CTS (up 54 percent). "February represents another month of double-digit sales growth," said John Stadwick, president and MD, GM Middle East Operations. "Outstanding sales driven by Chevrolet cars - the Aveo, Cruze and Malibu - prove that our award-winning line up of vehicles is growing in preference among customers in the region," the company stated. The result in February continues a run of successive months of double-digit growth for GM Middle East.
