LONDON: GM is known for its wide ranging brands that meet most consumer’s needs in the region.
In this exclusive interview with Luay Al-Shourafa, managing director, Saudi operations at GM Middle East, he highlights the strength of the Saudi market for GM.
Luay expresses confidence in the market by stating that “Right now, we’re seeing the strength of the buying power of Saudi consumers.”
Luay also confirms that GM has the lowest average cost of maintenance over 100,000km.
He also singles out Spark as class-leading in terms of horsepower, connectivity and fuel economy.
He, however, points out that “full sized SUVs, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and
Yukon XL are GM’s most popular vehicles.”
These are highlights from the interview:
How does GM’s product offering cater to the buying power and needs of Saudi Arabia’s different consumer segments?
The beauty of GM’s lineup is that across our three brands, Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac, we have every consumer segment covered, with an award-winning range that comprises of high quality passenger and sports cars including the all new Chevrolet Spark which has class leading fuel economy, horsepower and technology.
We also have an extensive range crossover vehicles and pickups, which includes the 2015 Middle East Car of the Year, Best Truck award winner, the GMC Sierra.
Of course, GM is also known for its full size SUV range which is ever popular in the Kingdom, which includes the 2015 Best large SUV winner, the Chevrolet Tahoe, which has best in class fuel economy and cost of ownership.
Right now, we’re seeing the strength of the buying power of Saudi consumers, with an influx of people coming to our showrooms to see the value-added deals we’re offering.
Is there a certain segment that currently represents an untapped potential?
While you could say that GM is renowned for high quality full size SUVs and pickups such as the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Silverado and Sierra, we’re also enjoying growth and interest in our passenger car range.
Year to date, Chevrolet passenger car sales in the Kingdom are up 14 percent over last year.
We attribute this to the greater focus we have been putting on listening to our customers and creating the cars they want in terms of quality, style, power and technology.
In Saudi Arabia, we’ve seen particularly strong growth in sales of the Cruze, which has best in class cost of ownership.
The car which is realizing its true potential is the all-new Spark city car which was introduced in the Kingdom at the start of this year.
This compact passenger car is class-leading in terms of horsepower, connectivity and fuel economy.
The Spark offers the small car segment something it had been missing — the technology, style and attention to detail you see in bigger cars, while still being fun to drive and cost effective to run and maintain.
The auto industry is no longer only about the vehicles it offers.
Of course, customers want a great car but they also want to know that they’re being looked after long after they’ve taken ownership of it.
This is why we have such a strong focus on customer care.
I think that this is also an untapped part of the industry.
To us, it means treating the customer with the world-class service they deserve and providing a comprehensive package that owners can trust in, and that delivers convenience and value.
For example, every Chevrolet comes with our Complete Care package that entitles the owner to have their vehicle thoroughly serviced in only one hour, and they are guaranteed a booking with their dealer within two days.
They are also entitled to a three-year warranty and four years of roadside assistance, so no matter where they travel to with their vehicle in the region, they can trust that they are supported by GM.
We also put a strong focus on being transparent and adopting a ‘no surprises’ approach when it comes to vehicle maintenance.
Walk into any Chevrolet or GMC service center and the costs of maintenance, are displayed for everyone to see on the wall.
Pricing is consistent across the country, so customers can trust that costs will not fluctuate.
GM vehicles are thoroughly serviced by qualified technicians using high quality parts every 10,000km.
This means that GM customers spend more time in their cars and less time and money on car maintenance. Taking into account the whole GM portfolio of vehicles, we have the lowest average cost of maintenance over 100,000km.
Does Saudi Arabia’s middle class take a large market share of the car market?
At GM, we know that our biggest selling vehicles are our full size SUVs such as the Tahoe and Suburban and the Yukon and Yukon XL.
However, we also see growth in our family sized sedans.
These factors suggest that the middle class make up a large proportion of customers.
GM offers a diverse product portfolio. In a key market like Saudi Arabia, is this essential for maintaining a competitive edge?
Having such a wide-ranging lineup of vehicles is certainly an advantage as it allows us to cater to the vast majority of the vehicle buying population.
However, the most important thing for maintaining an edge is not only in the sheer selection we offer consumers but in the high levels of quality we instill in each and every model.
What are the GM models that have achieved the most success in the Saudi market? Why do you think that is?
Our full sized SUVs, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL are our most popular vehicles.
This is due to their ability to suit the needs of our customers in Saudi Arabia.
We have a long-lasting legacy here, having been in the region since the 1920s. Over this time, have built a strong following of loyal Chevrolet and GMC fans who trust in our vehicles to carry them vast distances across the desert and beyond.
You could say that our SUVs are our modern day camels, only now they come with greater comfort, space, entertainment, and safety features, as well as class leading fuel economy and cost of maintenance.
Saudi market ‘is strong and GM offers value vehicles’
Saudi market ‘is strong and GM offers value vehicles’
