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Ayhan Olcer CEO, BMW AGMC

UAE - Transport

Ayhan Olcer

CEO, BMW AGMC

Bio

Ayhan Olcer started his career at Borusan Otomotiv (a BMW importer in Turkey) as assistant to the service manager. He worked for Toyota Turkey as direct and fleet sales expert and later joined the Alfa Romeo importer in Turkey as marketing manager. He later returned to Borusan Otomotiv and worked there in five different positions until 2018. He was the Managing Director for BMW/MINI/BMW Motorrad before joining AGMC in 2018.

"In the UAE, there will continue to be a transition toward adoption of EVs."
BMW AGMC leads the UAE’s automotive industry by bringing sustainable initiatives to the UAE to ensure that sustainable mobility is advanced across all aspects of the industry.
Following the impact of COP26 is driving the sustainability agenda with the car industry, how is BMW leveraging on this moment to focus its commitment on decarbonization?

On a global level, BMW are committed to halving its global CO2 emissions per vehicle during the use phase by 2030. This is aligned with our pioneering partnership with Emirates Global Aluminium in the UAE to use sustainably produced aluminum wheels as part of our efforts to reduced CO2 emissions by up to 80% in the wheel production and aluminum electrolysis phase of car manufacturing. These initiatives all come together under the brand’s main objective of effective climate protection, as a methodical, strategic approach to the ongoing commitment of decarbonization.

How would you assess the role of BMW in acting as an industry leader in the UAE to promote sustainable growth?

Within BMW’s overall position as one of the leading brands in the UAE, it is of great importance that we implement the BMW Group’s global initiatives through the BMW i Vision Circular brand philosophy in local communities and across the industry. Our key principles—RE:THINK, RE:DUCE, RE:USE, RE:CYCLE—are centered around individual, sustainable, and luxurious mobility, with the overall focus placed on carbon reduction to become the world’s most sustainable manufacturer in the individual premium mobility space. In the UAE specifically, our ongoing partnership with Emirates Global Aluminium has provided a global platform for the nation’s advances in providing sustainable solutions to the world, while our local initiatives to push the development of safe driving in the UAE through workshops in the recent launch of the My First License program to bring strong road awareness initiatives to young children across Dubai as part of this. While fully aligned with the BMW Group’s global objective to achieve net zero carbon emissions in the next decade, AGMC is leading the UAE’s automotive industry by bringing local initiatives at a grassroots level to the UAE to ensure that sustainable mobility is advanced across all aspects to continue the positive progress within the industry.

What are the challenges related to the scaling up the accessibility to EVs in the UAE?

In the UAE, there will continue to be a transition toward adoption of EVs. Especially in this market, it may take longer than most in making the full switch as the UAE continues to grow and develop across all sectors, including in its infrastructure at a rapid pace. The one advantage is that the UAE is accelerating the level of technological adoption, with one of the strongest levels of technological openness and understanding in the world thanks to our youthful population. The implementation of technology is widespread and an everyday facet of our lives, which is a major benefit in the transition to modern, advanced mobility solutions as the awareness and understanding of technology are already in place. While the accessibility in infrastructure will take longer to develop in the UAE, the keen interest in implementing technology into our everyday lives should support in bringing the wide-scale adoption of electric vehicles up to speed with the rest of the world as a result.

How do you assess the regulatory framework enabling the car industry to transition toward a more sustainable future?

Having the option to choose your desired model, whether that be a BMW or a MINI, which is an electric vehicle or a petrol-fueled model, is fundamental in shifting the perspective of sustainability within the automotive industry. For instance, with the recent global unveiling of the BMW 7 Series, alongside this can the new BMW i7, a fully electrified version of our flagship model. We expect to see both models arrive in markets at similar times, so it will be interesting to see the rate of adoption now that there are options. But importantly, the availability of desired models that present sustainable solutions is one of the key aspects in advancing the transition to more environmentally friendly mobility options.

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