A change in the production cycle of T&FME gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time on the stand and in the conferences at Automechanika Dubai in the beginning of October. We’ve spoken a lot about the potential of the Saudi market over the past year on our various platforms, and, honestly, a lot of this has sounded a lot like hot air.
Blame a couple of decades of seeing announcements and exciting projects and initiatives be blown away in the desert wind, and I’ve always had a nagging suspicion that we were just one market change or decision away from The Kingdom falling behind again – as it so often has.
But at Automechanika, I got a real sense of movement. Of change. Much of the talk was about companies moving their people over to Riyadh. I lost count of the amount of times I was told during the week that I needed to go to NEOM, the northern metropolis being carved out of mountains. Others told me that Saudi was now their main focus. Their stand in Dubai a stopover before they strip down an move it all to the next big event across the border.
Of course, much of this remains hope. The sort of hope that drags wagon trails across a continent to a golden promise. And I do think that a note of caution is warranted. There rightfully should be questions asked about whether the timescale and growth that’s needed to accommodate all the ambition is laudable or realistic.
The Saudi gold rush could yet end up a tale of too much, too soon. Can Vision 2030 really be more than an aspiration, a dusty target? Can it really be the fixed nation building exercise that it is intended to be if it is already running into logistics problems that beset moving millions of dreams at breakneck speed.
Better then, to rely on data and information. The hard evidence that this is more micromanagement than macro-mirages. Thankfully Automechanika Dubai gave me the chance to talk to one of the architects designing KSA’s future as a powerhouse autohub, Aftab Ahmed of the Saudi Natonal Industrial Development Cetner. He laid out some compelling arguments about why we should start taking KSA seriously when it comes to building an EV-powered auto sector.
He’s confident that The Kingdom will reach its 500k vehicles target by 2030 and become the regional home for the next generation of vehicles. The message, we should all take Saudi seriously.
Listening to his razor clarity it was impossible not to.
