570,000 cars ‘sold in KSA market in 2013’

Car sales in the Saudi market touched 570,000 in 2013, registering an increase of 10 percent over the previous year, and the sales growth trend is likely to continue in 2014 too.
Thierry Sabbagh, The Middle East director of sales at Ford Motor Company, speaking to reporters in Riyadh, said competition in the market was fierce with car manufactures pushing aggressively to increase their market share.
The company has opened a regional office in Saudi Arabia to keep up with the growth rate in car sales.
However, setting up a manufacturing plant in the local market is not an easy task and there are no such immediate plans, he said, adding that in future it may be possible.
Stating that Saudi Arabia accounts for 60 percent of his company’s sales in the Middle East, Sabbagh said the number of cars sold by the company in the Saudi market was estimated at 50,000, with sales registering a growth rate of 12 percent last year.
In the Gulf region, the company had sales of 85,000 cars, he said.
He said the company is ready to launch seven new products in the current year to support the company’s growing customer base in the region.
The Ford executive welcomed the Ministry of Commerce’s concern over the after-sales service as it serves the interests of customers.
The GM of Ford Saudi Arabia said the company plans to pump in SR800 million to expand branches and points of sale (POS) in the Saudi market in the next two years. The company invested about SR200 million in 2013 in this regard, he said.
Al-Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Company, the authorized Ford and Lincoln dealer in the Kingdom, registered the best sales performance last year, he said.