When Abdul Jalil Al Fahim imported his first Mercedes-Benz vehicles in 1962, Abu Dhabi had no streets and very few cars.
That year he sold just four vehicles.
But by 1964 his new dealership, Emirates Motor Company (EMC), had become the authorised distributor for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and construction had started on the flagship showroom on Airport Road in the capital.
As the years passed, sales ticked up and the showroom expanded. In 1995, the company had to add more buildings to its Airport Road base to accommodate the growing number of employees.
In 2008 it relocated to Mussafah, establishing the world's largest Mercedes-Benz facility, measuring about 92,000 square metres.
Today, more than five decades after it was founded, EMC remains the sole dealer for Mercedes in the emirate and one of the most successful businesses in the country.
"It started at a time when there were really no roads in Abu Dhabi and very poor infrastructure and it grew with the emirate, with the country," says Kamal Rafih, the general manager of EMC, the flagship company of the Al Fahim Group.
"It started to take off after Sheikh Zayed came into power and when the development programme started in Abu Dhabi and when they started to have roads infrastructure, people coming into the country, more projects, more construction and then it started to grow together," he adds.
Sales have risen and fallen over the years in line with the car industry's fortunes.
"During the recession, 2009 and 2010 there was a serious drop but since 2011, 2012 and this year there has been steady growth," says Mr Rafih.
In fact, last year was the company's best ever, with a 26 per cent increase on 2011 sales.
The most popular model was the E-Class while the CLS registered a 41 per cent increase.
But G-Class models are also very popular here, according to Mr Rafih, with new GL and GLK models launched in the second half of last year.
"It's the design. It's the association with people who drive it. It's the power of the car and it combines classic with modern, so classic design with up-to-date features so people just love it," he says.
"Mercedes is a premium brand and people in Abu Dhabi appreciate value and premium cars. They look for safety, innovation, for reliability, for durability. All these things are available in Mercedes cars."
EMC said last week the prestigious, all-new Mercedes S Class 2014 model, had arrived in its showrooms, and the firm also announced an increase of 7 per cent in sales for the first half of the year compared with the same period last year.
"With the exciting launch of the long-awaited all-new Mercedes-Benz S Class 2014, our loyal customers and Mercedes-Benz admirers are eager to explore this dazzling invention," says Mr Rafih on the company website.
"This is evident in the long list of orders we have been receiving from our valuable customers since last year.
"Hundreds of bookings have been requested and we are striving to deliver to our dear customers their lavish dream cars."
gduncan@thenational.ae
Bio
Age: 25
Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah
Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering
Favourite colour: White
Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai
Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Carzaty%2C%20now%20Kavak%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20launched%20in%202018%2C%20Kavak%20in%20the%20GCC%20launched%20in%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20140%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Automotive%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20raised%20%246m%20in%20equity%20and%20%244m%20in%20debt%3B%20Kavak%20plans%20%24130m%20investment%20in%20the%20GCC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
