The Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Toyota Motor Corporation, Mr Yasumori Ihara, visited the UAE last week as a special Al-Futtaim Motors guest.
During his visit Mr Ihara attended the launch event of the all-new Toyota Corolla, toured the Toyota Al Badia Service Centre and met with Mr Abdullah Al-Futtaim, Chairman of Al-Futtaim Group. He was accompanied by Mr Koji Nagata General Manager, Middle East & South West Asia Sales & Marketing Division, and Mr Shinichi Yasui, the Chief Engineer of Corolla.
During his visit, Mr Ihara said: “We have been working with Al-Futtaim for almost six decades and see them as an important strategic partner in the region. 2013 has been an exciting year for the UAE with the launch of several new Toyota vehicles, culminating in the 2014 Corolla. The UAE already has a large base of loyal Toyota customers and with the economic growth expected in the country, in addition to the recent news about the Expo 2020 win, I expect we will see many more Toyota’s on the roads.”
As part of his tour, Mr Ihara also visited the Al Badia service centre in Dubai Festival City. “The Toyota, Al Badia service centre is a great facility that reflects the strength of the Toyota brand in the UAE. It is a pertinent demonstration of the importance that Al-Futtaim Motors continues to place in customer engagement and service innovation,” he added.
Mr Ihara also spoke about the global appeal of the Corolla model, a car which has been in production for the last 47 years and sold over 40 million units, more than any other automotive nameplate in history.
Len Hunt President of Al-Futtaim Automotive Group said: “It was an honour and a pleasure to host Mr. Yasumori Ihara in the UAE and his visit demonstrates the importance of the UAE and Al-Futtaim Motors to Toyota. We are determined to continue innovating, with customers central to everything we do, so we can build on this legacy.”
“During his visit to the UAE, Ihara san was impressed by how Al-Futtaim Motors represents the Toyota brand in the UAE and by the exciting launch of the all new Corolla. During his visit to Al Badia he was also very pleased with the quality and customer care that is being delivered to customers on a daily basis,” added Jon Williams, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Motors.
Mr Yasumori Ihara serves as an Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation as well as its Chief Officer of the Purchasing Group. He joined Toyota in 1975 and he has been a Director of Toyota Motor Corporation since June 2009. He has also served as Chief Officer of the Business Development Group and Chief Officer of IT & ITS Group.