M. Ahmed Quraishi
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M. Ahmed Quraishi became the first non-Japanese Asian individual to import an automobile in 1905. He established the first Asian dealership outside Japan in 1911. He was forced to close the business down in 1915 due to heavy losses, but reopened Quraishi Motors in 1930 and it has been in continuous operation since.
Most successful of these successor dealerships is Soni Motors Thailand which is Thailand's largest and oldest auto exporter. Much of it's success was built around the export of diesel pickups such as Toyota Hilux Vigo and Mitsubishi Triton L200 and diesel SUV as Toyota Fortuner. It imports vehicles from Singapore, Japan and Dubai and exports vehicles from many Asian and African markets.
M. Ahmed Quraishi was also the first Indian to be dubbed Motor Walah - a person doing business in Motorcars, and was more known as Ahmed Motor Walah than his given name.
Hundreds of M. Ahmed Quraishi's descendents are involved in motoring trade in different parts of the world with the ironic exception of India where the Quraishi dynasty got its start in auto retailing.
