UAE Experts Discuss Fake Trade

A report from Gulf News, has said that industry officials at an automotive aftermarket exhibition in the United Arab Emirates yesterday, pegged the number of knock-off parts currently in the middle-east at a staggering 30%
“It is more or less 30 per cent of the market depending on the country and nature of the copied parts,” said an official.
Current global estimates have suggested the automotive business loses some U.S. $12 billion annually due to the fabrication and subsequent sale of counterfeit parts.
Regional and international car makers and the exhibitors participating in the auto aftermarket trade fair, Automechanika warned the UAE and the region’s consumers against the dangers of using fake spare parts.
Automechanika Gulf was officially opened yesterday in Dubai by Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development. The show features over 650 exhibitors from 40 countries.
The three-day event is targeting the rapidly developing automotive aftermarket in the Middle East.
It covers the full range of parts for motor vehicles, as well as components for the drive, chassis, body, electrical and electronic systems, equipment for vehicle service and repair, bodywork repair and painting, tires, batteries and performance systems.
The exhibitors are displaying everything from tools to tires, oil filters and lubricants.
The organizers said exhibitors offering genuine parts will help promote awareness of the hazards of fakes.
The UAE government statistics indicate that the automotive sector is worth Dh18 billion. The sector, according to Dubai Customs, is growing at a rate of 40 per cent per annum.