Dubai winning battle against fake auto parts

Touring the exhibition - Dubai's annual international trade show for automotive parts, accessories, tyres, batteries and garage equipment - Al Abbar said sales of fake parts had declined dramatically over the past five years.

'The Dubai government is exerting great efforts to control the fake parts market and ensure the safety of consumers but the primary responsibility rests on the shoulders of dealers,' Al Abbar said.

Al Abbar stressed AAME plays an important role as a platform for showcasing genuine automotive spare parts. 'Although it is a medium size show there is great potential for growth, as can be seen from the 30 per cent increase in size this year compared with 2001,' he said.

Ahmed Al Banna, Assistant Director General, Studies and Foreign Affairs Department, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who accompanied Al Abbar during his AAME tour, said the chamber wholeheartedly backed the fake parts crackdown.

'The chamber recently formed an automotive committee, headed by Dr Anwar Gargash, to coordinate the efforts of agents, Dubai's Economic Department, Dubai Municipality and various federal organisations, in their fight against counterfeit spare parts,' Al Banna said.

Organised by International Expo Consults, AAME 2002 has 130 exhibitors from 19 countries. The exhibition features six national or industry pavilions from Australia, India, Italy and for the first time Brazil, China and Taiwan.

At the show it was revealed Italy's latest trade figures show total exports to the UAE grew by 9.5 per cent last year compared with 2000, to stand at US$ 1.7 billion.

'The autoparts sector continues to expand strongly, growing by between five and 10 per cent in the last five years. We expect to see significant further development following the recent announcement of the Dubai Autoparts City free zone,' said Dr Massimo Sessa, Italian Trade Commissioner, Dubai.