MUSCAT: BMW’s strategy for electric mobility is based on technology optimization, says Jean-Philippe Parain, Senior Vice President Sales Region Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa of BMW group, pointing out that Oman could play a leading role in the region with its set targets

In Oman to mark BMW’s 20-year partnership with Al Jenaibi International Automobiles, Jean-Philippe spoke on BMW’s strategic growth in the electric vehicles sector and its role in meeting Oman government’s target of 80% electric vehicles by 2035, at a local media interaction, recently. He was accompanied by Rachid Zamani, Managing Director, Al Jenaibi International Automobiles and Dr. Hamid Haqparwar, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East.

Responding to a question on electric mobility in GCC markets, including Oman, he said: “BMW has more than doubled its sales, and what is really important is now we have electric cars in all segments. We have a very broad product portfolio; we are covering all potential segments and customers. That being said, we know that the pace of adoption of electric vehicles will be different from country to country. There are countries in Europe – like Norway – that are close to 80%, and there are countries like Turkey which are already at 20%. However, the Middle East region and the GCC are still in the very early phase of adopting electric vehicles.

“I think that Oman, once we have all the homologation, could play a leading role in electric mobility, just as BMW here also has played a leading role in terms of digitization. Oman could show the way to other states, and I think it is great that it is promoting the transition to electric mobility even when there are oil reserves.”

Pointing out that BMW has efficient petrol engines, diesel engines, hybrid engines and electric engines, and that it is even investing in hydrogen, he stated, “As soon as we have the homologation, we will contribute to the (Oman) government’s target and we are working on it. We need to certainly put Oman on the map and I think there is a rising demand for sustainable mobility – we have very successfully launched our new i7 worldwide, recently. The i7 being the only luxury limousine that is purely electric, we could really make a very strong statement in the market; we will launch the new 5 Series by the end of this year.”

He further noted that from the perspective of traditional manufacturers, BMW is number one in the electric segment. “We sold 200,000 electric cars last year and 100,000 the year before. We doubled, and we intend to double again. More or less, we expect our electric sales to be close to 400,000,” he added.

Infrastructure

Supplementing Jean-Philippe’s replies, Dr Hamid Haqparwar, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East, explained that to adopt electric vehicles, the country requires infrastructure (charging stations in destinations where people frequent) and shared willingness and vision to achieve the government’s 80 % net zero target by 2035.

“Right now in the Middle East there is a huge demand for SUVs and big sedans and we have the 7 series and other models which are in favour of Omani customers. I think Oman can really be at the forefront of electric mobility. It is just a matter of administration to get to the final homologation process. Very shortly, you will see electric vehicles from BMW here in the market. We are just waiting for the documentation to be completed and we hope electric vehicles will be here at the earliest; we are confident that we will be successful,” he stated.

Commenting on the infrastructure requirement, he added: “When we sell our electric vehicles, we equip it with wallbox free so customers can charge their vehicles in their homes (if living in a villa). That’s the minimum standard we set. That is what we do together with Al Jenaibi – if you purchase i7, iX1 or iX, we guarantee that somebody will come to your house and install a wallbox.

“We have to talk with the government and charging providers to identify places where even we as manufacturers are willing to support. This is something we are going to do together with Al Jenaibi to help ease customers’ anxiety on charging ports.”

Oman market

Highlighting BMW’s sales figures and potentials in the Oman market, Jean-Philippe said, “It’s been a very busy year… It is good to see the market bouncing right back and, on a more personal scale, I would like to say that BMW is all over the place. The sales are growing by more than 20%.”

Expressing delight over the two decade-long partnership with Al Jenaibi, he stated: “We are very happy to celebrate the 20-year partnership as it is really working smoothly. We have achieved 60% Omanisation, which is better than in other GCC countries. It is a well thought out development and we intend to invest in our partner for additional service facilities. We have a strong belief that this market will steadily and positively develop.

“We will be looking for further investments here and I think the focus on customers has been very remarkable from our partner here. This is something where we at BMW stands for – we always put the customer first. We have great products, we have a great brand, and we have great after sales,” he added.