Sheikh Mohamed Zulkifli SM Amin
KUCHING: The Naza Group has plans to increase its market share through a foray into East Malaysia with possible plans for an ‘auto-city’ in the near future.
According to group chief operating officer (COO) Datuk Sheikh Mohamed Zulkifli SM Amin in an exclusive interview with The Borneo Post yesterday, this was part of Naza Group’s business plans but was still at its preliminary stages.
“We have put in our business plan for next year to put at least one outlet here in Borneo. We have discussed this with Tourism Assistant Minister Datuk Talib Zulphillip and the state government to find a suitable location.
“Our vision for this is not just to bring in one brand, but we are thinking along the lines of something like an auto city but this is a very preliminary discussion. Why we plan to do this is to include the place as a destination as well – not just a place to sell and service your cars,” he outlined.
To note, although the Naza Group did not have any dealerships in Sabah and Sarawak, the group has dealers in Kuching and also in Kota Kinabalu.
Zulkifli was in Kuching taking part in the 2nd South East Asia Harley Owners Group (Seahog) Rally 2012.
He noted that Harley Davidson purchasers were usually high net worth individuals (HNWIs) and that East Malaysia is an untapped market for the group.
“Yes, actually I can say that East Malaysia is an untapped market. A certain part of our clientele is actually from here. Originally in Bintulu, Miri and Kuching we have a lot of HNWIs but we usually don’t see them because of culture,” he enthused.
“Now you see the changes. You can see the volumes of premium automobiles picking up. Slowly but surely these HNWIs will surface. This is based on my experience over the years.”
He went on to add that Malaysia, being a very young country, will encourage the young population to purchase Harley Davidsons, adding that most of Naza Group’s customers now are between 30 to 45 years old.
“For Naza, we don’t sell bikes. We sell a lifestyle,” he affirmed. “For example, people purchase Harley Davidson bikes because they want to adopt the lifestyle. They don’t go to work driving a Harley,” he joked.
“Most of our members are HNWIs. Most of our customers here at this event are also owners of premium-end cars. Having a Harley is a hobby, a lifestyle. By doing all these events, we are hoping to promote the brand further.”
Also, the Naza Group COO believed that Malaysia as a whole benefitted from motor sport tourism which has contributed very good income to the tourism business.
“You see, the motorsport tourism is not about quantity. It’s all about quality,” he said. “You’re bringing in high net worth individuals who have better spending power. They spend more on food and beverages, retail and local delicacies to bring back which is good for the local economy.
“So, this will definitely be something new for us that we would like to keep going. Other than the riding, we are also introducing and promoting Borneo as a new tourism hub.
“These participants are from the city area – they come from well-developed cities like Shanghai, India – so by coming here, they do not want to see more developments but rather the natural beauty of Sarawak.”
Zulkifli noted that at Bintulu (one of the stops during the Seahog Rally), participants were given the opportunity to watch a presentation from the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) whereby they were exposed to various investment opportunities.
“Some of our participants even enquired on the eagerness of foreign investments by the government, which we see as positive feedback,” he added.