Speed bumps ahead

Executive sat with Antoine Boukather, president of the Automobile Importers Association (AIA) of Lebanon, to discuss the industry and regulatory issues in the transport sector. E   Has it been another difficult year for the sector? Of course. Lebanon is in political turmoil and we urge the politicians to double their efforts to find a solution to the crisis. The sector is facing increased competition, tougher regulation for bank loan approvals (higher down payments), lower purchasing power of people and many other issues. By electing a president this will give more confidence to the public, and will increase investments as well as consumption. E   Despite the economic situation, car sales are still up by 2 percent on 2014. Why is that?  People are switching from the old fuel-hungry vehicles to smaller entry segment cars, while there is no real alternative such as a proper public transport system. E