Dubai, United Arab Emirates - General Motors (GM) has once again broken records with best ever sales in the Middle East in the first six months of 2008, its centennial year, hitting 71,452 units, up 7% on the same period last year.

The first half of the year saw record sales for all the GM brands combined – Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, HUMMER and Saab. This is on the back of the continued winning performance of the company’s full-size SUVs, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, plus the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, which together registered a 24% year-on-year rise in sales to some 23,000 units.

The smaller markets continue to drive GM’s success, led by Lebanon, which saw sales rise by an outstanding 155% to 1,204 units. It was followed by Oman (+45% to 2,023 units), the UAE (+37% to 11,972 units) and Bahrain (+29% to 1,420 units). Kuwait and Syria also benefited from GM’s popularity in the region, growing by 20% and 12% respectively. Saudi Arabia, GM’s biggest market, recorded 39,211 units, while Qatar and Jordan recorded sales of 3,648 and 709 units respectively.

The GMC brand experienced booming sales in the Middle East during the first half of 2008, with sales of 22,874 units, up 38% on 2007. GMC’s full-size SUVs, the Yukon and Yukon XL, were a major factor behind this success, with combined sales of 14,475 units, up 30% from last year. The luxury Crossover SUV Acadia is still on a roll with 3,359 units sold during the first half of 2008 - one year only after its arrival in the region it is already established among GM’s top ten best-sellers. Growth was further boosted by the arrival of the all-new compact crossover SUV, the GMC Terrain.

General Motors’ Premium Brands – Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab - also have had big percentage increases in sales across the Middle East region with sales of 4,193 units, up 26% from previous year. The award-winning, all-new CTS luxury sedan has proved to be a top-of-mind choice for many premium brand customers, recording a massive 468% year-on-year increase in sales. The Escalade luxury SUV recorded a rise in sale of 22% with 1,178 units sold, while the rugged HUMMER brand experienced positive growth, up 13% to 1,801 units, thanks to the popularity of the H2 and H3 SUVs.

Chevrolet remains GM’s strongest brand by volume, with customers buying 44,120 Chevy’s. Chevrolet’s best sellers, the full-size SUVs – the Tahoe and Suburban – together recorded growth in sales of 15%, with 7,694 units sold. The Aveo sales increased to 7,142 units, making it GM’s second biggest seller. Sales of the Captiva and Epica were also up by 40% and 37% respectively, plus the all-new Avalanche made a significant contribution to Chevrolet sales.

At today’s press briefing to announce GM results in the region during the first half of the year, John Passadis, Director of Sales - General Motors Middle East Operations, commented: “The growth that General Motors has registered across the Middle East during the first half of 2008 should be attributed to few factors. This business is about great products. And, GM offers a unique line-up supported by professional dealer network and a series of unique customer focused programs. It is also down to our strong dealer partners in the region, whose enduring hard work and commitment are reaping rewards in the year of our 100th anniversary.”

“Our vision for the future and role as a responsible corporate citizen, both to the communities in which we operate and to the environment, see us introduce pioneering first of a kind initiatives to the region. This is exemplified by the cooperation with the Dubai Government to operate Chevrolet Hybrid vehicles as Taxi’s. This is the first time that Hybrid vehicles have been brought to the Middle East” he added.

Courtesy: General Motors, Middle East

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Posted by Jigar Gondalia on 21 July, 2008 3:30:10 PM IST #