Aston Martin back in Kingdom

LONDON, 25 December — After an absence from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region of several years, British supercar manufacturer Aston Martin is returning with ambitious plans and a newly developed vehicle line-up. The company, which stopped exporting to the Middle East some four years ago, plans to sell 100 of its luxury performance cars into the region in 2002, its first year with cars specially developed for the climatic conditions and with new agents.

In an exclusive interview, Bill Donnelly, sales and marketing director for the British company, said that the first nine ME specification cars would be docking in Jeddah on Thursday. "We have spent more than a year testing in very harsh conditions," he said. "The time is now right for Aston Martin. We have the right car, the right agents and full technical support."