As cities across the GCC grapple with congestion, rapid urbanisation, and shifting sustainability priorities, the conversation around mobility is undergoing a fundamental reset. No longer centred solely on private car ownership, the focus is now turning toward more integrated, flexible systems that give residents real choice in how they move.
In this interview, Antoine Barthes, VP Al-Futtaim Automotive, speaks to Gulf Business about the region’s transition toward “choice-rich” cities, where private vehicles, public transport, and emerging mobility solutions operate as part of a connected ecosystem.
He outlines why car dependency persists, what global models reveal, and how the automotive industry is repositioning itself within a more balanced and future-ready mobility landscape.
Recent Al-Futtaim Automotive’s recent insights focus on a shift “From car centric to choice-rich cities in the GCC.” Could you elaborate on what exactly a “choice-rich city” entails and why this concept is crucial for the region’s future mobility outcomes?
Choice is what unlocks better mobility outcomes. Choice-rich cities succeed when private vehicles, public transport, shared mobility, and active travel work as one connected system, where smarter, cleaner, and more connected vehicles will remain essential, embedded within more efficient and people-centred urban systems.
The private car has historically played a central role in the GCC. What are the underlying reasons for this car dependency, and what challenges does it present to urban development and residents today?
For decades, the private car has played a central role in how people move across the GCC. This is not because people here inherently prefer driving, but because cities in the region have been designed to make it the easiest and most reliable option. Long distances, hot climates, and fragmented public transport networks have all bolstered car dependency.
Insights from our Blue Turns Green Mobility survey of more than 1,800 UAE residents, conducted as part of our white paper Rethinking Urbanisation & Mobility in the GCC, reinforces this reality, with two out of three identifying as infrequent users of public transport due to reasons including waiting times, limited availability and inconvenient schedules. Equally, frequent mass transit users face similar challenges. This reflects not resistance to alternatives, but a system that has made driving the most practical choice. At the same time, traffic congestion remains the single biggest urban challenge cited by residents.
Your perspective emphasises integration rather than elimination of cars. How do you envision cars fitting into this new, more balanced mobility ecosystem?
As the region increasingly explores new ways to build mobility systems, the idea is not to move away from cars altogether. The future lies in building choice-rich cities, where private vehicles, public transport, shared mobility, and active travel all coexist as part of a connected system. Choice is what unlocks better mobility outcomes.
In many cities, driving remains the default because alternatives are inconvenient or disconnected. Public transport may exist, but metro or bus stations are often far from homes and workplaces, while walking routes can lack shade or continuity, with first- and last-mile links often unreliable. In these conditions, the car is often the most practical option.
Looking at successful models globally, what examples demonstrate how cities can transition to more integrated, choice-rich mobility systems, and what is the underlying principle that drives their success?
Global experience shows that when cities are designed differently, behaviour evolves naturally. In Singapore, land use, housing, and transport planning are closely coordinated, where rail expansion, residential development, and last-mile connectivity are planned together. Private vehicles still play a role, but they are complemented by highly reliable public transport and shared mobility, giving residents genuine choice.
Copenhagen offers another perspective. The city integrates cycling, public transport, public space, and climate adaptation into one system. Cars have not disappeared, but they operate within a broader mobility ecosystem that prioritises efficiency, safety, and quality of life. The common thread is integration. Mobility works best when it is planned as a system, not as a collection of standalone modes.
The region is already laying strong foundations for future mobility. Could you highlight some of these efforts and discuss the unique advantages the GCC possesses in developing truly integrated, choice-rich cities?
Choice-rich mobility means designing cities where people can select the option that best suits each journey. A family commute, a logistics delivery, a late-night trip, or a weekend outing may all require different solutions. Private vehicles remain essential for many of these use cases, particularly for commercial fleets, longer distances, and flexible travel. What changes is not the presence of cars, but how they fit into a wider network.
The region is already laying strong foundations. Dubai is aligning mobility investments with digital infrastructure, autonomous mobility trials, and electric vehicle ecosystems as part of a broader urban strategy. Riyadh is developing metro lines, housing districts, green corridors, and economic hubs in parallel through Vision 2030. These efforts matter because convenience is the strongest driver of change. People adopt new mobility behaviours when journeys are smoother, more predictable, and better integrated into daily life. In fact, 25 per cent of our Blue Turns Green Mobility survey respondents highlight easy and convenient commute as an important factor contributing to a higher quality of life.
The white paper also points to a market in transition. More than half of respondents plan to replace their primary vehicle within the next two years, with one in four considering a hybrid or electric option, provided the supporting infrastructure keeps pace.
How does the automotive industry view this evolution?
From an automotive industry perspective, this evolution is not a threat. It is an expansion of opportunity. Vehicles become smarter, cleaner, and more connected to the urban system; fleets integrate with digital platforms; and charging infrastructure aligns with travel patterns. Cars remain a vital component of mobility, but within a more balanced and efficient ecosystem.
The GCC has a unique advantage. Many districts are still being developed or regenerated, aided by governments, developers, mobility providers, and energy players aligned on planning and investment from the outset rather than retrofitting fragmented systems later. Shaded walkways, climate-controlled interchanges, reliable digital information, and comfortable transfer points are critical to making alternative modes viable. Without these, choice remains theoretical.
What is the core message regarding the future of mobility in the GCC, and what role do Al-Futtaim Automotive and other stakeholders play in realising this vision?
Choice-rich cities do not ask people to give up the car. They give people better options alongside it. With a footprint across private vehicles, commercial fleets, and logistics, we see how mobility decisions ripple across entire cities. This perspective underscores a critical point: vehicles deliver the greatest value when they are integrated into coordinated transport, energy, and digital networks, and not treated as standalone solutions.
If the region designs its cities around integration, comfort, and real choice, mobility will evolve in a way that supports economic growth, quality of life, and long-term sustainability. Cars will continue to move people and goods. The difference is that they will do so as part of a system that works better for everyone.
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