FORD BEYOND THE BLUE OVAL

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00:00Thank you for joining us today, we are here at this exciting event being hosted by Ford

00:20Middle East, Beyond the Blue Oval.

00:23With us today is Kay Hart, President, Ford International Markets Group.

00:28Thank you for joining us Kay.

00:30So you're here to attend this event by Ford Middle East called Beyond the Blue Oval.

00:36Can you tell us a little bit about the event, it's significance to Ford, the importance

00:41to the attendees and the region?

00:43Yeah, it is an absolute privilege to be here in the Middle East for this really special

00:47event.

00:48Not only for us in the Middle East as Ford, but for our employees, for our customers,

00:53for our wonderful distributor partners, for our friends in the media, and also various

00:58stakeholders across industry bodies and government.

01:01Really to celebrate some of the successes that we've had here in the region as Ford.

01:07And not only that, we've been proudly serving Middle East now for over 40 years.

01:12And this is a chance not only to celebrate success, but also to reaffirm our commitment.

01:17And that commitment, we've had some amazing product reveals and announcements today, such

01:20as the Territory Hybrid, the Mustang Mach-E, the new F-150, the Expedition.

01:27So really just strong commitment, really great innovation, and it's an absolute privilege

01:31to be here to celebrate with the team.

01:35Speaking of success, Ford has had incredible success in the Middle East this year, especially

01:40in 2024, seen a lot of growth.

01:42So what do you think are the strategies that have contributed to this growth?

01:47And how does the Middle East fit into Ford's global growth strategy?

01:52We have had exceptional growth, and just since 2022, we've actually doubled our sales here

01:58in the region.

01:59So it's phenomenal.

02:00And I would say it's been done by a number of different things.

02:03First of all, a really diverse product portfolio that really meets the needs of our customers

02:08here, sourced globally from the best of Ford around the world.

02:13We've had some very successful product launches.

02:17We've launched new products like the Everest to the market that's just been having great

02:21pickup by our customers.

02:24We're a fast-growing brand, very fast-growing brand, especially in somewhere like Saudi

02:28Arabia, in UAE.

02:31And I would say also critical is our partnership with our distributors.

02:35They are critical to our success, and they, with us, are making great investment in our

02:40brand here.

02:41Middle East really does remain such a critically important market for Ford, so it's wonderful

02:45to see that growth here in the region.

02:47Speaking of, as you mentioned earlier, Ford's increased kind of portfolio of different kinds

02:55of vehicles, that brings me to electrified vehicles.

02:58And that's been in a lot of focus recently.

03:01So what are Ford's plans of introducing electric vehicles to the region, and what are the additional

03:09offerings on the market?

03:11So we're really optimistic about the electrification transition that's happening here in the Middle

03:16East.

03:17And we're continually investing in new electrification technologies such as hybrid, plug-in hybrids,

03:23and pure electric vehicles.

03:24In fact, today we mentioned that we're revealing the Territory Hybrid that'll be coming to

03:29the Middle East in 2025, along with our first all-electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E.

03:35And that joins our Taurus Hybrid and F-150 Hybrid that we've previously announced.

03:40So a lot of investment going into electrification technologies, and we're optimistic.

03:45Continuing with that, what do you think is the future of mobility in the region, electric

03:50mobility especially?

03:51Yeah, well, interestingly, we recently just conducted a study here in the region, and

03:56we found that 55% of UAE residents and 40% of Saudi residents are expressing interest

04:02in electrification.

04:04So we're excited about what that means for us, and especially with these new product

04:08reveals that we've had.

04:09How important are local partnerships and manufacturing facilities for Ford in the region?

04:17Yeah, well, I think one of our critical reasons for success here is our partnership with our

04:23wonderful distributors right across the region.

04:26And we continue with them to invest in the region, be it in people, in talent, in facilities,

04:31in great products, and new services.

04:34So as a team, we're collectively investing strongly in the region.

04:39We're also very proud that we're investing in an all-new parts distribution warehouse

04:42here in the UAE, which is on track to open in January of next year.

04:46So another great commitment and great reaffirmation of our commitment to the Middle East and the

04:51region.

04:52How is Ford leveraging technology and digital solutions for customer experience, and how

04:59does that tie in with FordBus?

05:01For the first time, we're announcing that we're launching here in the region our Ford

05:06Connected Services.

05:07So bringing the best of Ford again from around the world here to the Middle East.

05:11And that involves the FordPass app that we'll be launching here in the UAE in early 2025,

05:16closely followed by Saudi Arabia.

05:19And that really puts the ownership experience in the palm of your hand.

05:23So features such as Start, Stop, Lock, Unlock, Remote Start.

05:27So allows you to, for example, call the vehicle before you get into it from the comfort of

05:31your own home.

05:32So great features that we think will really help our customers connect more and more with

05:36the brand and their vehicle.

05:38What are the key opportunities and challenges that Ford is anticipating in the Middle East?

05:44And how does it plan to leverage these opportunities and handle the challenges going forward?

05:50Yeah, so we are very optimistic about the future here in the Middle East.

05:54We think there's exceptional growth opportunities still here.

05:58We have a very strong brand that our customers are really resonating and connecting with.

06:03So we look forward to continuing to invest in the region, continuing to grow, continuing

06:08to offer our customers experiences that they will want to come back and enjoy.

06:13So we're very optimistic with our confidence.

06:16We're optimistic for further investment and continued growth.

06:20Thank you very much for joining us today, Kay, at this lovely event being hosted by

06:24Ford Middle East called Beyond the Blue Oval and giving us insights into the growth, the

06:29strategy and the future of Ford in the Middle East.

06:32Thank you so much for being here.

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