Firas Barbir
General Sales Manager, Audi Centre Bahrain

How did you first become involved in the automotive world, were you a petrolhead as a kid?

It is in a boy’s nature to be subject to cars in one way or another, yet I had it become more of a reality, rather than just human nature, due to the family business revolving around cars. From a transportation business in Lebanon, expanding to a tyre business, and then sub-dealers for Toyota and now Chevrolet-Cadillac-Isuzu, you could already see how my passion for cars would just grow to make me who I am today.

You have worked with various other brands. What is it about Audi that makes it special?

No matter which brands we may represent as a family business, or brands I may personally work for, I shall always find myself with a German franchise. Holding dual citizenship, German and Lebanese, and having been brought up in Bavaria close to Porsche, VW and Audi, surely makes working for Audi close to home. I don’t just speak German, but I speak Audi too, and thanks to Behbehani Brothers, whom I have worked for in the past with Porsche, I was once again welcomed into this respectful family and dealership under the Audi Badge.

If you could own any car in the world (Audi or otherwise) what would it be and why?

My personal favourite is the Audi RS8. Power, design, supercar sportiness and performance under the four-ring badge make it my current choice. Fast forward, I would certainly be setting my eyes on the Audi E-Tron GT, the car of the future, confidently standing up for Audi’s slogan ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’, which means progress in technology or, more so, ahead in technology.