GAC, Mitsubishi Motors, and Fuso celebrate 50 years of success
General Automotive Company (GAC), a part of The Zubair Corporation, celebrated a landmark occasion—50 years of partnership with Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation in Oman. The grand anniversary event took place on 16th February 2025 at the prestigious Al Bandar Ballroom, Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah in Muscat. The evening brought together dignitaries, business leaders, and industry pioneers to honour a legacy built on trust, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to progress.
The event was graced by the presence of several distinguished guests, including the German Ambassador to Oman, His Excellency Mr. Dirk Lölke, Chairman of Mobility & Equipment Sector within The Zubair Corporation, Mr. Hani Al Zubair, senior dignitaries from Mitsubishi Motors, Mr. Minoru Kinoshita – Corporate Office, Mr. Moteki Takahiro – GM, Middle Divisionand Mr. Junya Takami – President MMMEA as well as Daimler Truck – Fuso, Mr. Michael Dietz, CEO & President MEA and Mr. Stavros Stavropoulos – Head of Network Development & Training, further underscoring the significance of this important milestone celebration.
Reflecting on the 50-year journey, Mr. Hani Al Zubair stated, 'Fifty years is not merely a measure of time; it is a testament to the enduring spirit of partnership, resilience, and shared vision. Together, we have built a foundation of trust and excellence that has shaped Oman's mobility landscape. As we celebrate this milestone, we also look ahead with renewed commitment to innovation and progress, ensuring that Mitsubishi Motors and Fuso brands remain the trusted mobility solutions for generations to come in Oman.'
Since 1974, when H.E. Mohammad Al Zubair introduced Mitsubishi cars and Fuso trucks to Oman, this partnership has played a pivotal role in shaping the nation's automotive landscape. From the first Mitsubishi Galant to the legendary Pajero and Canter, Mitsubishi and Fuso vehicles have become an integral part of Oman's roads, industries, and everyday life. Over the decades, this collaboration expanded its presence with state-of-the-art showrooms, service centers, and industry-leading customer service initiatives, setting new standards in reliability, performance, and excellence.
Addressing the attendees, Mr. Manoj Ranade, General Manager of GAC, highlighted the role of customer trust in this success: 'Over the years, our network has expanded to 9 sales outlets, 14 service centers, and 18 parts outlets across Oman, ensuring that we are always within reach of our customers. But more than just numbers, what truly defines us is the trust our customers have in us, knowing that we stand by them at every step of their journey. Our commitment to after-sales excellence has been recognised regionally, reinforcing our mission to continuously set new benchmarks in customer satisfaction.'
Speaking on behalf of Mitsubishi Motors, Mr. Minoru Kinoshita, Corporate Officer of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, reaffirmed the strength of this long-standing partnership, stating, 'Fifty years is a testament to a relationship built on trust, mutual respect, and a shared vision.' Together, we have not only delivered vehicles that conquer Oman's diverse terrains but have also met the evolving needs of its people. Mitsubishi Motors is proud to have played a role in the nation's development, and through our collaboration with General Automotive Company, we have created a legacy of reliability, innovation, and customer excellence. As the future of mobility evolves, we remain committed to pioneering advanced technologies and sustainable solutions, ensuring this partnership continues to thrive for years to come.
Representing Fuso, Mr. Michael Dietz, President & CEO of Daimler Truck MEA – Fuso, emphasized the brand's integral role in Oman's growth, stating, 'Our enduring partnership with General Automotive Company isn't built on products alone; it's built on trust—the trust of drivers who rely on Fuso's dependability every day, and the trust of businesses that count on our vehicles to power their success. Over the last 50 years, Fuso has become deeply woven into Oman's progress, supporting industries, transporting goods, and enabling businesses to thrive. Looking ahead, backed by Daimler's continued investment in innovation and sustainability, we remain committed to delivering future-ready commercial vehicles that will further drive Oman's mobility sector forward.'
A captivating artistic tribute by acclaimed sand artist Shaima Al Mughairi brought the history of this remarkable partnership to life, celebrating the impact GAC, Mitsubishi Motors, and Fuso have had on Oman's mobility sector.
Adding to the excitement, the 50th Anniversary Campaign Raffle Draw awarded a total of 250 grams of gold to lucky winners, symbolising the appreciation for customers who have been a part of this incredible journey.
As General Automotive Company, Mitsubishi Motors, and Fuso look ahead, the commitment to innovation, sustainability, and advanced mobility solutions remains stronger than ever. This celebration was not just about reflecting on the past but about embracing the future—a future driven by ambition, progress, and a continued promise to redefine Oman's mobility landscape for generations to come.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Al Zubair takes Al Manar to Gold Cup victory
MONZA, Italy: Al Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al Faisal al Zubair, Jens Klingmann and Ben Tuck delivered another driving and strategic masterclass to finish fourth overall and first in the Gold Cup class at the second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS at Monza late on Sunday afternoon. Despite qualifying in seventh, the trio carried out their pit stop strategy perfectly and were able to move through the field during a yellow flag-interrupted three-hour race to finish fourth overall ahead of nine other rivals in the Gold Cup category in their BMW M4 GT3 EVO. It was another proud day for Al Zubair and the Sultanate of Oman in endurance racing. The Racing Aston Martin was a distant second overall and the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi rounded off the Gold Cup podium. A delighted Al Zubair said: 'I'm happy to clinch the win in the Gold Cup Category. Honestly, this is a dream come true. Especially because we started the race from seventh on the grid. But the strategy from Team WRT was excellent. We had the speed throughout the weekend, but in qualifying we faced some issues, particularly in Q3. 'Fourth position in the overall classification and winning the Gold Cup category, this was fantastic. I'm very proud to raise the Omani flag high. We are aiming to achieve even more.' From a start position of seventh in the Gold Cup category, Al Zubair held eighth until a full course yellow brought proceedings to a stop after around 20 minutes. The Garage 59 McLaren had the lead from the CSA Racing McLaren. Action resumed around the half-hour mark and Al Zubair made up a place to take seventh shortly afterwards. The Omani maintained his composure and was soon up to sixth with the Garage 59 McLaren continuing to lead from the Racing Aston Martin. Herberth Motorsport's Porsche was sidelined after 13 laps. Al Zubair retained sixth to another full course yellow with around 1hr 50min of the race remaining. The handover to Tuck was a good one and, when action resumed, Tuck held the lead from the Garage 59 McLaren and the Verstappen Aston. The leading six Gold Cup cars were tightly bunched but Tuck retained the lead through 48 laps with 68 minutes of the race remaining. The CSA Racing McLaren had fallen by the wayside after 36 laps. With less than an hour to run there was yet another full course yellow with Tuck still leading. Racing resumed under a green flag with 54 minutes to go and the final changeover to Klingmann was a successful one with the team retaining an advantage over the Aston Martin and the Optimum Motorsport McLaren. A seventh interruption to the race happened with 31 minutes to run and Klingmann holding the lead and a superb fourth overall. But it was a brief stoppage and the German retained his position, only for a yellow to halt the race for the eighth time with just three minutes left of the 84-lap race. Al Manar Racing by Team WRT carried out a short unofficial test session on Friday with Al Zubair posting a best lap of 1min 46.840sec. Free practice took place on Saturday morning for the 10-car field and the fastest lap of the session went to the Nordique Racing Mercedes in the hands of Japan's Kotaka Kazuko. Tuck's best run for the Al Manar Racing by Team WRT operation was 1min 46.345sec and that put the BMW M4 in the middle of the group in fifth. Pre-qualifying saw the Al Manar Racing BMW down in a subdued eighth with a best lap of 1min 46.694sec in a session won by the Racing Aston Martin. Klingmann carded a best run of 1min 46.101sec in the first of the two qualifying sessions to put the BMW in sixth of the Gold Cup runners. Tuck ran a 1min 45.826sec lap in Q2 and Al Zubair finished his Q3 stint with a best lap of 1min 46.848sec. With the times collated from the three qualifying stints, the Al Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW lined up on the grid in seventh with pole position falling to the Garage 59 McLaren from the CSA Racing McLaren and the Racing Aston Martin. Action in the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS resumes with the prestigious Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa on June 25th-29th.
Observer
21-05-2025
- Observer
What's eating Europe's food system?
By Martin Häusling The writer, an organic dairy farmer, is a member of the European Parliament for the Greens/EFA group. Food prices have surged in recent years across the European Union. In March 2023, food-price inflation hit a record high of 15%. In Germany, consumers are paying nearly 30% more for food than they did in 2021, even though energy and production costs have declined. Some economists have attributed this to food processors and retailers reaping windfall profits at the expense of low-income households. Meanwhile, the share of retail food prices reaching farmers keeps shrinking. German producers, for example, received just 21.7% of retail prices in 2021, and this figure continues to decline. The fall in farmers' share of bread prices is a striking example: in 1970, farmers earned 19.2% of the shelf price; by 2022, that share had plummeted to 5%. Milk producers face similar challenges. Between 2014 and 2024, milk prices consistently failed to coverrising production costs. As a result, many farms operate at a loss and depend on subsidies to survive. Farmers are expected to produce high-quality food while also providing – often under burdensome bureaucratic requirements – environmental, climate, and animal protection. But as value creation shifts away from producers, profits are increasingly concentrated among a few powerful processors and retailers. The widespread farmers' protests of early 2024 revealed deep-rooted frustration across the EU's agriculture sector. The widespread farmers' protests of early 2024 revealed deep-rooted frustration across the EU's agriculture sector. But the political response was underwhelming. Under pressure from conservative and liberal factions, the bloc's Common Agricultural Policy was rapidly stripped of environmental standards, amounting to a powerful blow against the CAP's already-fragile ecological pillar. Meanwhile, the core issue – ensuring fair prices along the value chain – has not been sufficiently addressed. Fortunately, the issue of fair pricing in agriculture is finally gaining political traction. The EU is now revising both its Unfair Trading Practices Directive and the Common Market Organization rules. These reforms are the result of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture – a policy forum launched by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2024 – which brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders. The EU's Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen has incorporated parts of its recommendations into his policy agenda. But fixing Europe's broken food supply chain requires more than cosmetic changes. Prices must be set from the bottom up, which implies four key reforms, starting with the enforcement of contractual obligations. Dairy farmers, in particular, often deliver their products without knowing the price – an arrangement that would be unthinkable in most other sectors. EU law already provides leeway for reform, as seen in France and Spain, where binding written contracts are mandatory. Spain even prohibits sales below production costs. In Germany, however, attempts to introduce similar measures have been blocked by the agricultural lobby and its conservative and liberal allies. Second, contractual obligations must extend to farming cooperatives. Although founded on progressive principles, many of these cooperatives now operate like conventional large corporations, prioritizing the lowest possible purchase prices over the interests of milk producers. Yet in countries like Germany – where cooperatives account for 70% of milk processing – they remain exempt from such requirements. Third, the rights of producer organizations must be strengthened. While dairy giants like Arla and DMK would control up to 13% of the EU's milk volume following their planned merger, current EU rules cap the market share of farmer-led producer organizations at just 4%. Despite years of intensive discussions, this imbalance persists, hindering fair negotiations. Lastly, EU policymakers must curb market concentration in food retail. In Germany, just four retailers control 85% of the food market. The food processing sector is also highly concentrated. A 2024 report by the German Monopolies Commission warned that rising market concentration is harming both producers and consumers. Amid these challenges, promising models are beginning to emerge. One example is Germany's recently piloted three-party contract, which is based on the French model. Instead of producers blindly delivering products to processors, who then sign separate contracts with retailers, all three parties agree in advance on suitable partners and enter into long-term agreements – typically lasting 3-5 years – with clearly defined pricing structures. Such three-party contracts contain clauses mandating quarterly reviews to adjust for market and cost fluctuations. Beyond pricing, they address product layout, marketing strategies, and standards for animal welfare and environmental sustainability. By fostering a sense of shared responsibility, these agreements promote quality improvements and fair compensation. They also help shield producers and consumers from market volatility, create added value throughout the supply chain, and offer a foundation for best practices that can be scaled both nationally and regionally. Given that European agriculture can remain viable only if farmers are able to cover their costs, the European Milk Board sees three-party contracts as an important step toward a fairer and more sustainable market structure. These agreements could provide income stability and planning security, benefiting all stakeholders: farmers, processors, and consumers, who currently overpay for low-cost, mass-produced food. Fair pricing would also enhance Europe's resilience to crises, war, and climate change. Today's artificially low prices are made possible by the overexploitation of natural resources – both in Europe and globally – alongside poor animal welfare, precarious migrant labor, and the relentless financial pressure placed on farmers. With many EU farmers facing crushing debt and rising input costs, it is no surprise that under 12% are under the age of 40. If Europe wants to feed itself in the future, it must make farming economically and ecologically sustainable – not by increasing subsidies, but by establishingfair market conditions and introducing robust sustainability standards. Market-based solutions like three-party contracts show that positive change is possible, so long as Europe stays the course. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2025
Observer
12-05-2025
- Observer
Postal Prosperity Zone Oman project to launch this month
MUSCAT: A landmark initiative to integrate the Sultanate of Oman into the Postal Prosperity Zone (PPZ) – a global innovation programme promoted by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) – formally get underway this month. Overseeing the delivery of the PPZ Oman project is the partnership of Oman Post, part of Asyad Group, and UPU member Logistic-Natives, an international logistics infrastructure network for modern commerce. 'The PPZ Oman project, designed and managed by Oman Post and UPU CC member Logistics Natives, will start in May 2025, positioning Oman as a strategic node in a future-oriented, postal-driven e-commerce superhighway,' Berlin-based Logistic-Natives announced in a post on Monday. Plans for the establishment of the a PPZ project in Oman – the first in Asia and the Gulf region – were first unveiled last month during a visit by a high-level delegation from the Universal Postal Union (UPU), its Consultative Committee (UPU CC), and representatives from the World Customs Organization (WCO), government institutions, and global e-commerce stakeholders including Cainiao, SF Express and YTO. The underlying objective was to firm up plans for the establishment of the Middle East's first PPZ in the Sultanate of Oman. The PPZ initiative aims to enhance the integrated logistics network by establishing seamless digital links between Oman Post and international e-commerce platforms. It supports the development of modern customs systems and strengthens Oman's global transport competitiveness. The project focuses on real-time data exchange between postal and customs services, unifying labelling and tracking procedures, and optimising the movement of goods across air, sea, rail and road networks. Logistic-Natives, an association representing the interests of over 30,000 companies in the logistics industry, has described the PPZ initiative as a 'model for seamless cross-border e-commerce'. 'The PPZ initiative is a global innovation programme initiated by the UPU CC,' the German infrastructure network noted in its post. 'Fully aligned with UPU and WCO standards and regulations and based on existing UPU IT infrastructure, it facilitates cross-border e-commerce by (1) Establishing direct IT connectivity and integration between national posts and commercial senders (e.g. marketplaces); (2) Upgrading customs clearance flows and related infrastructure to meet global benchmarks and best practices; and (3) Optimising the digital and operational capabilities of national posts to provide competitive e-commerce delivery solutions and services which meet the requirements of commercial senders.'
