MHD LLC’s Automotive Division has won the Volvo International Service Training Awards (VISTA). It is a competition that is open to all Volvo importers worldwide for their staff from the various departments to participate in. The competition takes place every 2 years and competitors are sent a number of question sheets that test the participant’s knowledge of the brand and process applicable to their job in the organization. MHD Volvo made a strong entry with participants from the Sales/ Parts & Service Departments. After 3 rounds of intense competition Robert Hales, Workshop Manager, MHD LLC emerged as a top performer and was invited to Dubai for the next round where he was up against a competitor who had won the award 4 times in a row earlier. After another tough round Robert Hales proved his superiority and was selected as the ‘VISTA’ award winner.

Invited to Sweden for the final leg of the competition Robert Hales received the award from Karin Falk, Vice President of the Volvo Car Corporation. Robert also took the opportunity to visit the Volvo assembly plant in Gothenburg & the engine factory at Skovde. He was also allowed to test drive a Volvo C30 T5 at speeds exceeding 235 KPH on their test tracks & emerged unscathed to tell us his experiences.

More details on the Volvo range of cars can be obtained by visiting their showrooms in Azaiba, Sur, Sohar & Salalah. An exclusive toll free number 800-74747 is also available for Volvo customers in the Sultanate of Oman.

A customer meet for Cofran Lubrification customers was recently organized by the automotive division of MHD LLC at the Radisson SAS hotel. The customer meet was organized on the occasion of Cofran’s Export Area Manager, Mr. Philippe Beauduin’s visit to Oman. Mr. Beauduin made a thorough presentation on the range of Cofran products to all customers & fleet managers attending the programme. A display of Cofran Lubrification products was also set up at the venue to educate the customers on the vast range of products available from the company.

Mr. David Aziz, Director Automotive, MHD LLC started the proceeding by giving an overall introduction to the MHD LLC group and the range of products & services offered by it. A lively Q & A session after the presentation was also jointly answered by Mr. Beauduin & MHD LLC officials.

For more information on the Cofran Lubrification products please visit MHD LLC’s automotive facilities in Azaiba, Wadi kabir, Sur, Sohar and Salalah or simply call on 24523281.

Land Rover welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales to the company's factory in Solihull on the 13th of May as it celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The Prince of Wales, who also celebrates his 60th birthday later this year, cut a specially designed Land Rover shaped birthday cake and unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. The cake was donated to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Members of key engineering projects over the years were present as The Prince of Wales was given an overview of the manufacturing process at the plant. A number of historic and iconic Land Rovers were on show including HUE 166, the first Land Rover, and a Range Rover Classic used by the Prince himself.

The visit also enabled the Prince of Wales to get an insight into Land Rover's approach to meeting future challenges. This included an in depth look at the LRX Concept, a vehicle envisaged with 120g/km CO2 and 60 mpg capability, and an insight into the overall environmental technologies and CO2 strategy being developed to drive down emissions. Land Rover is involved in a £700m investment in sustainable technology that includes the development of hybrid technology and the use of lightweight material.

Phil Popham, managing director of Land Rover, said: "It is a great honour to play host to the Prince of Wales at such a significant milestone for the company. Land Rover has played an important role within the British car industry for 60 years and we strongly believe that it will continue to do so for many years to come."

Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range. Defender, LR2, LR3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover each define the world's 4x4 sectors, with 78% of this model range exported to over 160 countries. Land Rover employs 8,500 people and supports a further 40,000 jobs in the supply chain.

Land Rover also runs the world's largest consumer CO2 offset programme, balancing all manufacturing emissions and the first 45,000 miles of customer use in the UK and other European markets.

Henrik Norgaard new National Champion Laser Sailing
Abdulhakeem Al-Keyumi best Omani Sailor

The Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC sponsored VOLVO 2008 Oman National Championship for Lasers (one man Olympic class sailing dinghies) was sailed last weekend from the beach off the Ras al Hamra Boat Club (RAHBC). 26 Sailors competed in the event organised by the Oman Laser Association with participants from Royal Oman Navy, RAHBC, Castaways – Civil Aviation Recreation Club and one international entry from Denmark.

Henrik Norgaard came out on top with 5 points (out of 5 races with one discard), improving on his performance of 2007 (when he came 5th). Second place was for Frank van Beek (last year also no 2) only 1 point behind the leader with Douwe Sickler (last years winner) following closely as third with 12 points.

Abdulhakeem Al-Keyumi from Casteways was the best Omani sailor with a 11th place overall, an excellent performance. Abdulhakeen has improved consistently over the years finishing 3rd best Omani in 2005, 2nd in 2007 and now on the number one slot. Rashid Khalfan al Yahyai from RNO-Wudum came second this year after a first place in last year’s event. Rashid had 2 early starts which cost him dearly and pushed him back to second place. 3rd Place was for Suleiman al Waheiby a youngster taking part in the Ministry of Sports Affairs (MOSA).sailing training program. Suleiman’s performance is particularly impressive considering that he has only started sailing a few months ago. His cousin Abdullatif al Waheiby finished just behind him on a 4th place. Oman can have high sailing hopes with youngsters like these.

On Thursday the fleet of 26 boats sailed 3 races in generally light Easterly winds. The combination with a strong Westerly current made the starts particularly difficult with competitors being pushed over the start line by the current before the starting signal. Several general recalls were required. Frank won the first race with Henrik as second. They swapped positions in the second and the third race saw Frank again as number 1 with Henrik in 3rd place. The 2nd race saw Suleiman Waheiby finishing as 9th. Pretty good for such a young and novice sailor.

On Friday all participants were ready to start at midday but the wind left everyone waiting until 13.30 before sailing could start. The OOD (Officer Of the Day) wisely decided to execute all races back to back. Just before the start of the 3th race the wind died completely and everyone was send back to the beach to clean up the boats and get ready for the price ceremony. Henrik won both races with Frank in 2 & 4th respectively. A critical moment in the first race occurred at the start when the OOD identified Henrik as OCS (on the course side of the start or early start). This situation was reviewed in the protest committee and came out in Henrik’s favour: he kept his first place. A video of the start sequence also confirmed that he was in his rights.

The Prizes, kindly sponsored by VOLVO – MHD LLC, were awarded by Umesh Rao and Naresh Kadaba to all participants. Tony thanked VOLVO-MHD LLC for their sponsorship of the event. Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC in its role as the Volvo importer in the Sultanate of Oman has been working to further strengthen the brand’s association with sailing by sponsoring events such as the VOLVO 2008 Oman National Championship.

Tony van Thiel (OLA Chair and event organiser) also thanked Saif Said al Shebli of the Ministry of Sports Affairs for his presence at the ceremony and expressed his hope for the Ministry to soon materialise the plans for a Youth Sailing Training Centre so that more young Omanis can enjoy this fantastic sport.

Tony finished the prize giving programme by thanking the OOD’s Fred Rourke, Dave Clark, Rob and Michiel Nieuwenhuisen and Hans de Koning for the first rate management of the races. The RAHBC sailing captain, Cees van Eden congratulated Tony with the excellent organisation of the championship.

The Laser is a small single sail boat sailed by one person. It is an Olympic class which is very popular around the world. Laser sailing is a fantastic sport which can be practiced in Oman throughout the year. In strong winds the sailing is very physical, the boat gives you a great workout. With Oman’s strong history of sailing, good winds, beautiful beaches and deep blue sea, Laser sailing has the prospective to become a true national sport with the potential of Omani participation in world class events such as the Asian and Olympic games.

60 years ago, a motoring icon made its public debut, when the original Land Rover was shown at a motor show in Amsterdam, on April 30, 1948.  The current Defender is clearly descended from that first vehicle, now known as a Series 1.  Extraordinarily, they even share a couple of original parts, an oil filler plug and a cleat for tying down the canvas roof.  But the rest of the vehicle technology has moved on considerably.

Today, Land Rover goes from strength-to-strength, with a five-model line-up headed by the Range Rover, and record global sales of over 226,000 vehicles in 2007. 

The company recently received an early birthday present, in the form of two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. The first, for 'International Trade', was given in recognition of export sales of nearly £4 billion per annum to 147 countries. The second, for 'Innovation', was awarded for Land Rover's acclaimed Terrain Response system.  At the twist of a knob, this sets up the vehicle's engine response and traction systems to maximise performance on all terrains - the electronic equivalent of having an expert instructor alongside the driver.

Around the world, Land Rover will be celebrating its 60th anniversary year throughout the summer with a series of special activities and events.

Land Rover is represented by Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC in the Sultanate of Oman. More details on the Land Rover range can be obtained from the Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC website www.mhdoman.com  or by visiting their showrooms in Azaiba, Sur, Sohar & Salalah. An exclusive direct number 24523211 is also available for Land Rover customers in the Sultanate of Oman.

Employees at Land Rover’s Halewood Operations on Merseyside are celebrating after producing the 100,000th Land Rover LR2. The milestone vehicle has been built just 17 months after production started at Halewood.

LR2 was launched in late 2006 and last year was the first full year of sales. 2007 saw the all-new model prove hugely popular across the world, particularly in key markets such as the Middle East, Russia & China.

LR2 is engineered to perform in the most extreme weather conditions and, like all Land Rover products, has a true breadth of capability. This makes it perfectly suited to the Middle East market, which is one of the most diverse and challenging environments in the world

Thomas Klein, Operations Director at Halewood said: "The 100,000th LR2 is an important milestone for the plant – LR2 helped Land Rover achieve its best ever sales year in 2007 and has won several major awards in its first twelve months in the market place. LR2 is continuing to perform well in traditional Land Rover markets such as the UK but sales in areas like Middle East, Russia and China are also growing rapidly. I'd like to congratulate the Halewood workforce on this fantastic team achievement."

David Aziz, Director Automotive, MHD LLC the sole importers for Land Rover vehicles in the Sultanate of Oman added: “We are pleased by the way the Land Rover business is developing here. Oman is a very important market for Land Rover in the Middle East. The crucial selling point for LR2 is that it is the authentic compact premium 4x4 and excels off-road. At the same time, LR2 is excellent on-road and is perfectly suited to a city where its premium styling attracts a great deal of attention."

More details on the Land Rover LR2 can be obtained from the Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC website www.mhdoman.com or by visiting their showrooms in Azaiba, Sur, Sohar & Salalah. An exclusive direct number 24523211 is also available for Land Rover customers in the Sultanate of Oman.

The JMC commercial vehicles launched by the Automotive Division of MHD LLC have achieved outstanding success. The brand has already gained support from a large numbers of satisfied users in the Sultanate of Oman. Jiangling Motor Corporation has also awarded MHD LLC for its excellent performance in the Sultanate of Oman during 2007.

JMC has been monitoring this fast expanding market continuously & a team of senior officials comprising of Mr Hu Yong, Mr. Lu Youwei & Ms. Zou Wenliang were recently in the Sultanate of Oman on a market visit. This opportunity was also utilized to organize a customer meet at MHD LLC’s JMC showroom in Darsait.

A large number of JMC customers attended the meeting to interact with the JMC officials & give their feedback on the JMC products. Mr. Raghuchandra, General Manager, Automotive Sales & Mr. Bhaskar, Astt. Manager, Commercial Vehicles Sales introduced the customers to the JMC officials.

Jiangling Motors is one of the major commercial Vehicle manufacturing groups from China. Long devoted to producing the best light commercial vehicle, it is a well known brand in China. It has over 400 diversified models of leading vehicles, including JMC Baodian, JMC Carrying, JMC Baowei and JMC Yunba. JMC has accurately grasped the market requirements to fully meet the demands of different customer groups, and has constantly developed new examples of energy-saving, practical and environment-friendly automobile products. The company also has a very strong after sales system with warranty and easy supply of spares. It commands a market share of over 8% of the total Commercial vehicles market in China. Having captured the No.1 position in Diesel Commercial vehicles export, Jiangling Motors is also No.1 in value of exports achieved.
The JMC Engine Plant, Axle Plant, Chassis Plant and other key component plants all have passed the certificate of QS9000, the highest standard quality system in the world.

The Automotive Sales Division of MHD LLC represents JMC in the Sultanate of Oman with showrooms in Darsait, Sohar, Sur & Salalah. Aftersales facilities are also available at all these locations.

A workshop on Omanisation and Recruitment was organized recently by the MHD Training Center. Organized under patronage of Mrs. Lujaina M. Darwish Jt. Dy. Managing Director, MHD LLC the workshop was attended by all divisional GMs and HRO manager. During the workshop the current Omanisation status in MHD LLC was discussed. Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC is amongst the companies which have achieved good Omanisation percentage and recently had been honored by the Ministry of Manpower. The workshop discussed the difficulties facing Omanisation and came up with some proposals to tackle these problems.

The workshop evaluated the current recruitment process and assessed the effectiveness of the same. New mechanisms were also proposed to be implemented in the near future.

The workshop also discussed the training needs for all Omani staff and the importance of continuous training and proposed courses such as Work Ethics, Communication English, HSE and Computer Skills.

Volvo Cars' in-house developed technology for avoiding low-speed collisions - is receiving the American "Traffic Safety Achievement Award" at this year's World Traffic Safety Symposium in New York.

"City Safety is yet another example of Volvo's aim to utilise real world traffic situations to develop solutions to prevent accidents. It is extremely gratifying that we are now being acknowledged with this prestigious award," says Jonas Ekmark, head of preventive safety at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre.

At this year's World Traffic Safety Symposium held at the New York International Auto show, a panel of experts consisting of traffic safety specialists from institutions such as the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reward various developments that reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on American roads. Volvo's safety feature, City Safety, made a huge impression on the jury members owing to its ability to prevent or lessen the severity of collisions at low speeds, thus reducing the risk of personal injuries and damage to vehicles.

Volvo will be the world's first to install City Safety as standard equipment in a vehicle. Approximately 75% of all collisions are at speeds less than 30 km/h (18 mph).  In 50 percent of cases the driver does not even brake before the collision and the reason is usually insufficient concentration. If the vehicle in front brakes suddenly and City Safety assesses that a collision is imminent, the brakes are prepared for action. If the driver does not take action, the car is braked automatically. At speeds less than 15 km/h (9 mph) City Safety can entirely avoid accidents, at speeds between 17 - 30 km/h (10-18 mph) the system applies brake force to reduce vehicle speed and help reduce occupant injuries and vehicle damage.

"With City Safety, we hope to eliminate whiplash injuries, to both vehicles involved in typical city driving low speed accidents along with eliminating vehicle body damages," states Ekmark. "Even with just reducing vehicle speed, this system will help to reduce the consequences of low speed impacts. The potential for reducing the risk of both personal injuries and car bodywork damage makes City Safety highly interesting from an insurance perspective. Volvo Cars is currently involved in negotiations with several insurance companies in Europe who are considering an insurance premium discount of up to 30 percent for cars equipped with City Safety.

More details on the Volvo range of cars can be obtained from the Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC showrooms in Azaiba, Sur, Sohar & Salalah. An exclusive toll free number 800-74747 is also available for Volvo customers in the Sultanate of Oman.

The Land Rover LR3 has been voted the best 4x4 by Planet 4x4 magazine.

Fighting off competition from 36 other vehicles, the LR3 proved unbeatable on practicality, packaging, off road ability and all-round dynamics, scoring 819.4 out of a possible 1000.

In fact, Land Rover swept the board with the Range Rover voted overall runner up – just 4.1% behind the LR3, and Range Rover Sport and LR2 both scooping class wins.

"With a clean sweep of class awards this year, Land Rover is getting it right at just about every level. One tester after another was wowed by the Range Rover's class, the Range Rover Sport's style and the LR3's practicality," said Alan Kidd, editor of Planet 4x4 magazine.

"But what I think Land Rover can be particularly proud of is that this result comes in a competition where scores for off-roading meant almost nothing – and value for money counted towards almost a quarter of the total mark. It would be easy to write this off as a series of victories for these premium vehicles... but in reality, it shows that with Land Rover, you really do get what you pay for."

Land Rover UK managing director, John Edwards added: "We are immensely proud to have fared so well in this year's awards, against ever-increasing competition in the 4x4 sector. The Land Rover LR3 is an out-and-out winner which proves that the British still make the best."

The Land Rover LR3 is available from RO.15, 950 onwards in the Sultanate of Oman. To book a test drive or for further information on any of the Land Rover range please visit MHD LLC’s Land Rover showrooms in Azaiba, Sur, Sohar and Salalah or simply call on 24496560. Complete information on the Land Rover range & a facility to book test drives is also available through the internet on www.mhdoman.com .

The very first Volvo car left the factory on April 14, 1927. It was called the ÖV4 because the letters ÖV are Swedish for "Open Car" and 4 denoted the number of cylinders powering the new Swedish car. On February 20, 2008, it was once again an open car that was under the spotlights. That's when car number 15,000,000, an attractive convertible Volvo C70, left the factory in Uddevalla.

In the first year, production proceeded at a modest pace, with 297 cars being sold in 1927. Emerging from the shadow of the global economic depression and Second World War, it took Volvo 23 years to build its first 100,000 cars. Today, that figure corresponds to about three months of production.

Early in the company's history, it was decided that the brand name should signify quality and safety. Since the early 1970s, environmental issues too have come to the forefront of the company's corporate agenda. It is therefore no accident that Volvo was first off the mark with the world's single most important safety invention (the 3-point safety belt was fitted as standard to Volvo cars as far back as 1959) and with one of the world's foremost innovations in the environmental sphere (the 3-way catalytic converter with Lambdasond was introduced in 1976).

The best-selling Volvo model ever is the classic 200 Series. Between 1974 and 1993, no less than 2,862,573 were built. Probably the best-known of all Volvo models is the P1800 sports coupe that was built during the 1960s. For one thing, it was the car that Roger Moore drove in the highly popular TV series "The Saint". For another, Irv Gordon's red P1800 from 1966 is in the Guinness Book of Records as the car that has covered a higher mileage than any other car on the planet. In 2002 his car's odometer rolled past 2,000,000 miles (3,218,000 km) and in 2012 Irv expects to be doing the three million mile (4,827,000 km) service on his trusty car. Beat that if you can...

Many Volvo owners have over the years also expressed their appreciation of their cars' sensible, solid engineering. Functionality has always been important and this was confirmed when British motoring magazine AutoExpress undertook an ambitious survey about ten years ago to find out which cars are best and worst to live with from the owner's viewpoint. Two Volvo models took part in the survey, and both won their classes. The Volvo C70 was regarded as the best sports car and the Volvo S80 was named the best luxury car in stiff competition against considerably more expensive cars.

Today the Volvo brand is equally renowned for the attractive design of cars that reflect characteristic Scandinavian design traditions.
When that first car drove past the factory gates back in 1927, it proudly carried its "iron symbol" on the radiator grille. That mark was and still is a symbol of Swedish steel and quality. When car number 15,000,000 left the factory in Uddevalla, that symbol is still carried with pride on the front and it still represents quality and solidity. The Volvo C70 is one of the absolute safest convertibles ever built. It is a functional and spacious car. And it is actually two cars in one as the three-piece retractable hardtop transforms the Volvo C70 from coupe to convertible at the touch of a button.

More details on the Volvo range of cars can be obtained from the Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC website www.mhdoman.com or by visiting their showrooms in Azaiba, Sur, Sohar & Salalah. An exclusive toll free number 800-74747 is also available for Volvo customers in the Sultanate of Oman