Executive had a chance to sit down and discuss with Cesar Aoun, the car group manager for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep in Lebanon, the troubles of the US automakers and how they’re affecting the local market. E The Lebanese automotive market experienced strong growth last year and this year’s first quarter. Considering sales figures have slumped in most of the world, how is Lebanon bucking the global trend? Mainly due to the banking sector not being affected, so financing for car loans were not touched, and overall, the economy was not affected. Lebanese expatriates are also back and this contributed to moving the Lebanese economy. Comparing 2005 to 2007, when there was political instability, explosions and bombs, after the Doha agreement [in May 2008], we had a great summer and a lot of tourists, so that resulted in a jump in [overall] sales. It’s all about political stability. E Were
