General Motors in the UAE reports outstanding results for Q1 2008

In the year in which GM celebrates its 100th birthday, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, HUMMER and Saab saw their sales in the UAE rise to 5,642 units, following on from a similarly strong performance in 2007 when the company grew by 20%.

GMC led the sales surge, with customers buying 110% more vehicles (1,334 units) than in the same period last year. Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab experienced a combined rise of 54% to 670 units, while Chevrolet continued in its role as the foundation brand, up 17% to 3,638.

In keeping with the picture across the region as a whole, GM's full-size SUVs - the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL - are prospering in the UAE. Combined, these models experienced a 79% increase over Q1 2007, to 1,337 units. Proving that GM's product line-up really does cater for all tastes, the Chevrolet Epica was the next biggest seller with 565 models bought, representing a year-on-year rise of 146%.

Terry Johnsson, president of General Motors - Middle East Operations, commented: "It says a lot for the high regard in which General Motors is held in the UAE that, in the year that the Company celebrates such a remarkable milestone as its 100th Birthday, the country's new vehicle customers are buying more GMs than ever before The appeal of our cars can be attributed to the design and technologies they incorporate, our customer-focused strategy and the hard work put in by our dealers, Al Ghandi Auto, Bin Hamoodah Auto, Liberty Automobiles Co. and Gargash."

"2008 is set to be an historic year for GM in the region, not just because of the Centennial, but because we will continue to introduce new initiatives. For example, we will continue to expand our industry-leading Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Programme across the region, with the launch of new dealer sites and a new on-line system, ensuring that our vehicles are as accessible to used car buyers as they are to new car buyers," he continued.

GM's success in the UAE was replicated across the Middle East, with the Company enjoying record sales of 32,440 units in the first three months of 2008, up 6% on the same period last year, helped notably by the popularity of the Chevrolet and GMC full-size SUVs and continuing high demand in the region's smaller markets.

GMC has enjoyed an increasingly strong presence in the Middle East in 2008, with sales of 10,745, up 41% on 2007. This growth has been driven primarily by demand for the new Acadia luxury Crossover SUV, with almost 1,700 units sold, as well as for the Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs - combined sales of these models have risen by 43% to 6,553.

The luxury Cadillac brand grew by 51% in the first Quarter to 1,138 units, helped notably by the award-winning, all-new CTS sedan and the Escalade luxury SUV. HUMMER grew by 6% to 934, while Chevrolet remains GM's strongest brand by volume, with customers buying 19,423 vehicles.

The full-size SUVs took the plaudits as GM's best-sellers in the Middle East, with sales up 41% on the same period last year. Chevrolet's Captiva and Epica recorded big increases of 46% and 33% respectively, while the smaller Aveo was up to 3,096, making it GM's second biggest seller. The mid-size SUVs, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy, experienced a 17% rise in sales.

In the GCC, Oman led the way for GM with year-on-year sales up by 38%, followed closely by Kuwait (+37%), the UAE and Bahrain (+34%). The Levant countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria also had an excellent start to the year, with sales increasing by 27%. Saudi Arabia, GM's biggest market, shifted 17,580 units. Iraq was another GM success story, with sales jumping 42%.