TRUCK COUNTRY EXTENDS FAR BEYOND CANADA
GMC fans in Qatar would be at home at shows anywhere, writes Dale Johnson.
A former colleague, Jay Branch, emailed me to tell me about a car show he recently attended.
“A long line of gleaming GMC trucks rumble into the parking lot. Some are brand-new models, others date back to the 1950s. Some are daily drivers, others are heavily modified. The owners gather around their trucks, talking in excited tones about the myriad of modifications, and the latest trends.”
But Branch no longer lives in Regina. He was describing a show he went to in Doha, Qatar, a small country in the Middle East about 10,700 kilometres from Regina.
The show was held recently at the College of the North AtlanticQatar (CNA-Q), a Canadianbased technical college in Doha, where Branch now works.
“More than 250 vehicles turned out. Not bad for a college with 2,100 students! And of those 250 vehicles, several are GMC trucks.
“Speaking with the owners, it is clear the truck — which is extremely popular on the Prairies — is equally well loved in the Middle East,” Branch says.
Branch chatted with Saad Al Kuwari, a 26-year-old business student at CNA-Q and proud owner of a shiny red 2008 5.3-litre Sierra. It’s been lowered and is pampered with Denali and HD treatments. He is also the former president of Q-GM, a local GMC owners club in Qatar.
He told Branch: “I love the power. It’s very comfortable when you drive it. The suspension is very smooth. It handles the bumps very nicely. When we formed in 2008, Q-GM had six members. There are currently more than 40 members.”
Al Kuwari told Branch that he uses his GMC mainly for cruising the streets of Doha. His daily driver is the most popular vehicle on city streets, a Toyota Land Cruiser. He also said that the history of GMC in Qatar runs deep. “All the stories with Qatar culture. They used it before for the farming. It is a good truck.”
Branch explains that group activities and shows usually take place in the winter in Qatar, because the temperatures in the summer can soar to 50 C. I’ve been to car shows on hot days in Saskatchewan — but I’ve never been to one when it’s 50 C (or 122 F).
So while the car show season is getting underway in Saskatchewan as the weather warms up, on the other side of the world the car show season is winding down because of the hot summer.
Branch says the local GMC dealership in Doha is the Mannai Automotive Group. Founded in 1951 as an auto parts distributor, it holds the exclusive Qatar franchise for General Motors brands, Cadillac and GMC.
“Our products come from the U.S. and Canada,” Allan Paul Paredes, Mannai’s senior marketing supervisor told Branch. Paredes says that instead of block heaters, the GMC lineup offers interior climate controls that are suitable and tested for the Middle East.
He pointed out to Branch that the 2015 GMC Sierra won the title of “Best Truck” at the second edition of the Middle East Car of the Year (MECOTY) Awards.
Branch says the MECOTY’s independent jury panel is comprised of 12 of the region’s auto journalists and editors. They whittled down the submissions to a single winner based on a number of scoring parameters, including: Design and Quality; Handling and Drivability; Safety and Durability; Performance and Capability; Technological Innovation; Emotional Appeal and Driver Satisfaction; Value for Money; Comfort and Practicality, Environmental Friendly and Regional Appeal. I have been a judge twice for the Canadian Car of the Year Awards — and it sounds as if the Middle East scoring system is strikingly similar.
Branch also says that not all GMC truck owners use them for cruising. Several, like 26-yearold Khalid Daloul, a work-term co-ordinator at CNA-Q, enjoy the practicality of a daily driver.
“It is handy for what my lifestyle is. It is a four-door. It is very good for me and my family, sometimes if I want to get them out. At the same time it’s a pickup, so I can put things in the back,” he said.
Daloul added that his 2010 Sierra 4X4 is the perfect vehicle for getting people and items out to his family camp in the desert on weekends.
While all the big companies — Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Nissan, and Toyota — have trucks in the Qatar market, Branch explains that it’s GMC that seems to have the most loyal followers. He said both Al Kuwari and Daloul speak in glowing terms about the “style” of the GMC product.
Al Kuwari told Branch that he is currently looking in the U.S. for a 1976 GMC C-10 short box for his next project.
Until then, he is hoping to swap the engine in his current truck for an LSX 454, because, he said, “I’m looking for a little more power.”
So it seems like the 10,700 kilometre distance from Saskatchewan to Qatar makes little difference to true truck buffs. These people in Doha would no doubt feel quite at home at a classic car show in Saskatchewan; and for buffs like Jay Branch, the pickup trucks help to bring a familiar slice of Saskatchewan culture to Doha.