Opel dealership goes
to A.N. Boukather

A four-year plan to enhance the brand

A.N. Boukather (ANB) acquired the Opel dealership previously owned by Techno Cars. The deal was finalized during February. ANB already sells Mazda cars, Otokar buses, and different brands of motorcycles.

The international ownership of Opel moved in mid-2017 from General Motors to the French PSA Group, which owns Peugeot, Citroën, and DS. Anthony Boukather, Chief Executive Officer at ANB, said that the strategy of the new mother company is to spread Opel as a global brand and not just concentrate on European markets.

Locally, purchases of Opel have witnessed a significant increase, by 90 percent, from a low base, between 2012 and 2017. The sales peak reached 186 vehicles in 2016 but showed a downturn to 120 units later in 2017. Opel's market share reached 0.32 percent of overall new car sales in 2017. The price range of Opel models is between $17,000 and $25,000.

According to Boukather, the acquisition represents good growth potential for both the newly acquired brand as well as ANB’s overall sales. He estimates that a four-year period is required for the adapted growth strategy to enhance Opel’s local presence and turnover.

ANB has already started developing a new vision and identity for Opel, and plans to open a new showroom by June 2018. New Opel models for the 2018 will not be available until then.

Boukather said that ANB will expand the line of Opel models, where two SUVs will be added to the local fleet, Crossland and Grandland, besides the sedan and compact models.

Boukather said that after-sale service experience for Mazda is being transferred to the Opel team. A partial change is to be witnessed within Opel’s managerial team.

Other ANB companies operate in the car rental, real estate, and construction sectors.