Al-Futtaim Motors, the UAE dealer for Toyota, confiscated over AED31.3 million ($8.5m) worth of counterfeit car parts last year.
The dealership conducted a total of 26 raids throughout 2015, in partnership with several law firms and government entities, it said. This lead to the issuance of AED750,000 in fines to the offenders.
Of the raids organised, 77% were conducted in Dubai, 11% were conducted in Sharjah, and 8% and 4% were carried out in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain respectively. The total number of confiscated parts exceeded 220,000 products, including motor oil and lubricants, air and fuel filters, and brake pads and brake discs.
Al-Futtaim Motors also organized 10 training sessions targeted towards over 300 trained government officials across six emirates, helping them spot the differences between fake counterfeit and genuine parts. In addition, the dealer took part in 13 different exhibitions to educate the general public about the dangers of counterfeit products.
“Al-Futtaim Motors has come a long way in the battle against counterfeit products, having conducted hundreds of raids over the last few years and seizing hundreds of millions worth of confiscated products from the UAE market,” said Ralf Zimmermann, general manager after sales at Al-Futtaim Motors.
“We have always highlighted the importance of installing only genuine and manufacturer-approved parts on vehicles and we continue to invest in educating the public against buying counterfeit products. In the long run, the costs savings from counterfeit product is diminished due to highly degraded quality that requires more frequent replacing, aside from being unsafe and potentially endangering the lives of drivers and passengers.”