The Quraishi Legacy

The Soni Group of  Companies, Soni Motors Dubai, Soni Motors Singapore, Soni Motors Japan and Soni Motors Karachi - is owned and operated by the Quraishi family and is a continuation of the legendary Quraishi Motors which was first Asian dealership outside Japan.

Through the tireless dedication of four generations of Quraishis to professionalism, honesty, quality, service, selection and low pricing, we have truly made our name a tradition. A quick overview of our history will give you an insight into what inspires us to make our best effort to deliver superior customer service.

The First Generation

The Quraishi Family is the First Family of Asian Automotive Industry. While Japanese were the first Asians to embrace automobiles but M. A. Quraishi - the Patriarch of the Quraishi Family - was the first non-Japanese Asian to import an automobile in 1905. He then parlayed his passion for cars by opening Asia's first automotive dealership in 1911. No one knew that the great M.A. Quraishi who had made history twice by being the first non-Japanese Asian to import his automobile and the first non-Japanese Asian to open a dealership was again creating history by beginning a dealership that will continue for another 97 years and beyond and will be Asia's oldest auto dealership anywhere in Asia perhaps including Japan. Some 300 of M.A. Quraishi's descendents are now involved with auto industry and carrying on his vision all over the world.

Soni Motors is the most successful of these successor organizations. Quraishis have been in the in the automobile business for over 97 years but longevity isn't everything. We have done everything with class and integrity and have set standards in the industry for all to follow. It is through our adherence to integrity, professionalism, customer service, low prices, quick delivery, beauty and high quality that we have grown from our modest beginning in 1911 as British Empire's first Asian dealership into possibly Asia's largest privately-held automotive group. Now the fourth generation is carrying on Mr. Quraishi Senior's tradition.

1905 to 1911

When an English friend of his acquired a car, he simply fell in love with it. While others in his family scoffed at first car's clunkiness, slowness, noisiness and its expensiveness, he saw its future potential. He set upon himself the task of convincing his father to buy him one of those not-so-gleaming automobiles. After a year of pestering, his father finally gave into his favourite son's daily entreaties and he became the first Asian to own a vehicle outside Japan. 

The first drive in his new car and his romance with automobiles had begun and he has passed this gene to Quraishi generation after generation.  He went for a ride in his car daily, automobiles were still a rare sight and he had to honk his way through throngs of carts, cattle and people on unpaved roads getting curious looks from all passers-by.

He would import many more vehicles over the years and each time he would go through through months of anxious wait. This got him thinking and one day he decided that one day he will import not one but a number of vehicles which he could then offer for sale and thus save other car lovers from the anxious wait he endured every time an order was placed. This was a risky move at best because it was a significant investment that could go South very easily and it did.

In 1911, much to his family's consternation, he realized his dream and imported not one but 10 vehicles simultaneously and end up starting British Empire's first Asian automobile dealership becoming a butt of his friends' jokes and a cause of concern for his family. Models changed quickly, customers were few and spare parts and mechanics were hard to come by and the War depressed the economy and made shipping of vehicles perilous. The business kept on incurring losses so he scaled down his business substantially in 1915 and this reduced the rate of loss. 1918 was the first year he actually broke even but his father had had enough and the shutters came down on his business but not on his dream.

He still kept importing vehicles for him and his family and would import additional vehicles for such customers that were willing to pay in advance. Since technology was so new and so hard to support, customer service was critical and he provided this to his customers. Even though his dealership had closed, he still fixed his customers cars in his workshop at his own expense and trained his family servants to fix vehicles. His fame has spread far and wide even though he had no storefront so when he finally did reopen he already had orders in hand and he had not only recouped his loses but made some profit.

Asia's first auto exporter

He also became Accidental Exporter. Just as he had become Asia's first auto importer accidentally, he also became Asia's first exporter by accident. Since in this era, South Asians took advantage of British Empire's far flung borders and migrated far and wide they took Quraishi Motors reputation with them and quickly Quraishi Motors was into exporting automobiles. As early as 1931, Mr. Quraishi was exporting to Burma followed by exports to Ceylon, Afghanistan and other parts of South West, South East and Central Asia.

South Asia's first Bus Service

In 1934, he established first private bus line of South and Central Asia by importing brand new buses and had routes in all busy thoroughfares of the capital.

Fight Against Fascism

While the First World War had done him in, the Second World War caused his business to expand as he begin supplying to the Allies. At first it was just for the automobiles and spare parts but his honesty and low prices won him many admirers so pretty soon he became a key supplier to the Allied Army in Asia. He was very keen to make his contributions to fight against fascism.

Customer Service, Vision and Philanthropy

He made customer service a cornerstone of his business long before it became fashionable to do so. People made fun of him but he had the last laugh. For a man whose education never went beyond primary school his achievements were remarkable. He had a vision and he realized this vision with passion and resoluteness despite many curves on the road.

We continue to prosper by following his ideals of offering great customer service, top quality, top selection and exceptional value for money. He was a visionary of his time, whereas others thought that the ascendancy of horse buggies and push bikes could not be challenged by those poor specimen of technology that earlier automobiles represented. He saw farther into the future not at their present status but at their future promise.

Soni and Jim Quraishi, likewise, are visionaries who see beyond appearances at future promise sensing new directions and have taken their grandfather's company from strength to strength while upholding his principles.

M. A. Quraishi is hailed as the Father of Asian automotive retailing industry and as a pioneer his name will live on.

He was also a first class philanthropist and established the policy of contributing 5% of his profits to ameliorating the lot of the poor in his community. This is a tradition that all branches of the Quraishi Family follow.

The Second Generation

Our father Amin Quraishi stepped into the automotive business in the 1970s. He believed that in order to succeed one must achieve a standard of excellence and customer satisfaction that surpasses all of your competitors. It is thanks to the vision and hard work of this soft spoken man that Soni Motors enjoys the success and popularity that it does today. He did not love cars as Quraishi, Sr. did or as Soni and Sam later would but he felt passionately about continuing the family tradition of excellence, customer service, low costs, top selection, high quality, professionalism and integrity. Fate threw many curveballs his way but he kept coming back for more with even greater determination. While MA Qurashi's passion and vision had created the business, it was Amin Quraishi's quiet enthusiasm, eye on strategy and management that established the business on firm foundations and spread its reputation far and wide.

Amin Quraishi was also a philanthropist all his life. He continued Quraishi Sr.'s tradition of allocating 5% of company's profits but with company's continuing prosperity he decided that instead of giving small monthly stipends of money to thousands of families he would instead focus on a few families to empower each year. Following the Fisherman's parable "If you give a person a fish, you feed them for a day. If you teach them how to fish, you feed them for a lifetime" he gave a person the skills, resources, contacts and tools to start their own business or their own career according to a person's aspirations and qualifications. His managers then worked to ensure this person's success over a period of three years and more if required. Through this ingenious scheme, Mr. Quraishi was able to empower thousands of individuals and make their families financially independent. Thousands of individuals in all parts of the world remember his contributions to their success fondly and now uplift others in his memory.

He also believed in community empowerment and started projects and institutions that benefited the poorer communities as a whole and helped them live a decent life and provide a way to climb out of abject poverty.

He was a great believer in education and gave scholarships to brilliant students from impoverished backgrounds.

Amin Quraishi was not just a business maven but also a spiritual giant whose spiritual wisdom became a source of inspiration to many. His boundless love for the Divine Beloved and for the humanity touched all he met in his life. His spiritual wisdom continues to guide many to this day.

When Soni joined the business, Amin Quraishi impressed upon him the importance of honesty and exceeding customers' expectations reminding him that the company is in the business for the long haul, not here to make a quick buck for a couple of years. This meant working strategically and proactively to carve an even brighter future.

The Quraishi Family has excelled by having a clear vision of the future and then working tirelessly and creatively to achieve this vision through Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism, Customer Service, Top Selection, Quick Delivery and below market prices.

The Third and Fourth Generations

Soni continued the family's automotive tradition by joining the business in 1979 and then migrating to Thailand to open his first showroom in 1982 and the rest, as they say, is history. Soni business kept growing year after year, increasing our local and export sales volume to the largest in Thailand and among top ten in Dubai, Japan and Singapore.

We owe this success to our customers, who return not only year after year but decade after decade. These repeat customers refer us to their family, friends, co-workers, business peers and neighbors. We believe that our high rate of local and global repeat and referral business is due to our dedication to great customer service, dependable cars and trucks, and the lowest possible prices. Even though we receive hundreds of new emails from potential customers every day, the bulk of our global business is still with dealerships, corporations and NGOs who were referred by our satisfied dealer, corporate or NGO customers. If it is true that we are separated from a total stranger by merely six degrees of separation. A few delighted customer can bring in a world of customers.

Soni and Jim Quraishi represent the third generation of Quraishis. Sam, Sunny and Will  Quraishi, the scions of 4th generation, have been involved with the automobile business ever since they learned to say the word "CAR". Four generations of the Quraishi family and dedicated employees have worked hard to deliver the kind of personal service our customers expect and deserve. We treat our export customers with same respect and quality that we give our local customers.

The third and fourth generation have also advanced Quraishi tradition of philanthropy further. With the financial resources of Soni juggernaut we are able to reach out to even wider world and make a difference at a worldwide level to reduce poverty and empower individuals into self-sufficiency Amin Quraishi style but at an unprecedented level.

Quraishis' have proved many Business Management theorists wrong and shown that mixing business and family together can be the foundation for entrepreneurial success. In an industry where high-pressure sales tactics and impersonal service are commonplace, Quraishis are proud to run customer-focused, family businesses that uphold the Quraishi traditions of trust, excellence, value and commitment. Perhaps that is why so many Soni and Bloomstar customers have never bought a car from any other dealership. Once they buy a car from us, they, their family and friends become a part of Quraishi automotive family.

Our dealer customers are also a part of our family. As we see our success in their success, it does not take us very long to become a part of their team. We hear success stories of dealerships in countries as far ranging as Trinidad, Seychelles, Pakistan, Namibia and 50 plus countries where their relationship with Soni made all the difference and they are now able to import Thai, Japanese, Singaporean vehicles from a single source at the cheapest price in the world.

Fulfilling Your Driving Dream

Whether you're looking for a new or pre-owned car, van, or SUV, be it American, European or Asian, luxury or economy, come on in to any one of Quraishi owned dealerships anywhere in Asia, and see the difference passion and integrity can make in your next purchase. Quraishi’s slogan ‘Fulfilling Your Driving Dream!’ is all about providing you with the freedom and power to express yourself when finding or building that perfect car.

So many needs are required to be satisfied and Quraishis will ensure your vehicle reflects you while also totally satisfying your business and private automotive needs. This passion is not reserved just for our individual, corporate and NGO customers but also for the customers of our dealer customers.

Cars are not just our business but our passion. We only procure and sell mint condition cars and take pride in their quality. It is because of our honesty, reliability, and pre- and post-sales service that once a person buys a car from us, he is our customer for life.

You can say that cars are in our blood. When Quraishis get together, you can rest assure that the topic will eventually turn to cars and each generation chips in with its expertise sharing their passion. Our dinner guests have gotten used to our idiosyncratic love for car and expect that no matter what the discussion, it will invariably veer towards automobiles.

Our only Goal is YOUR success

At Soni Motors' we are extremely fortunate to have a business with over 97 years experience. This experience however only makes us as good as we perform today. It is only our complete dedication to customer satisfaction that will ensure our prosperity in the next 75  years.

Come experience the Four generations of Quraishi expertise in bringing the "Quraishi Quality" car to your doorstep no matter which corner of the world you live in. Our our only goal is YOUR success. Remember, we only prosper when you prosper.