The discovery of oil in Kuwait in 1929 led to the rapid modernization and development of the country. This development and the growing wealth of the people brought about a demand for motorization. Recognizing opportunity, and wanting to be part of the development taking place at the time, the Al-Shaya and Al-Saqer families, two of the prominent merchants families in the country, decided to form Kuwait Automotive Imports Co- KAICO. Established in 1936, KAICO started with the dealership of the Ford Motor Company in Kuwait. However, this partnership between KAICO and Ford ended in 1966 with the Arab Boycott decision, at which time, the company chose to give up what was a lucrative dealership.

The story of KAICO, however, doesn’t end there. In fact, that was only the beginning.

The company, as we know it today, began with Mr. Saleh & Mr. Ahmed Al-Shaya at the helm. They took over the company in 1960, and over the course of the next 13 years, successfully expanded and guided it to become a major player in Kuwait’s automotive market.

In 1973, Mr. Abdullah Abdul latif Al-Shaya, was appointed Managing Director of KAICO. It was during his tenure that the company expanded further. Mr. Abdullah Abdul latif Al-Shaya retired from day-to-day management in 1998. However, he continues at the company as an advisory capacity, and KAICO continues to benefit from his years of knowledge and experience.

Taking over from Mr. Abdullah Abdul latif Al-Shaya, Mr Yousef Al-Shaya, the current CEO of KAICO, began his career in the company . Through dedication and hard work, Yousef Al-Shaya rose to the post of Asisstant General Manger in in 1989, eventually becoming CEO in 1998.

Mr. Yousef Al-Shaya, being a pioneer in Futuristic Vision and planning, Came up with New Concept of the Millennium Showroom, ultimately bringing up KAICO’s Standards for the Millennium Era.

Millennium Showroom

As part of the expansion of the company, in the year 2000, KAICO inaugurated the appropriately named Millennium Showroom. With its futuristic architecture, the Millennium showroom has 8000 square metres of floor space, making it one of the largest car showrooms in the country(or should we use- MiddleEast). Its state-of-the-art facilities provide the perfect setting for displaying a wide range of vehicles, where potential customers can visit and be attended to by courteous and knowledgeable sales staff.

Housed on the first floor of the same building are the Executive management suites. This allows the management to stay close to the business proceedings , especially important in today’s fast-paced business world.