Dubai auto spare parts trade values Dhs18.22bn in 2007

The strong growth of the sector has prompted the Statistics Department to take part in the Automechanika Middle East, the region's leading trade fair for the automobile sector, which will be held at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from June 1-3.

According to the Statistics Department's figures, import of automobile spare parts in 2007 accounted for 60.65% of the total trade, which amounted to Dhs11.05bn, while exports made up 2.33% (Dhs425m) and re-exports 37.02% (Dhs6.75bn)

Nassim Al Mehairi, Acting Head of Statistics Department, said: "Our participation in the fair comes as a result of the study we conducted on the thriving automobile spare parts sector in Dubai. Through such a platform, we are seeking to strengthen the department's relations and enhance communication with the various economic sectors in the emirate in particular and the UAE in general. We also aim to promote the importance of statistics centres in outlining future business trends by relying on scientifically-documented data, which is an indicator of consumer preferences and market performance."

"The Statistics Department has adopted a carefully planned mechanism to share its data and analysis on various sectors, through participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, utilization of technological tools like CDs and publication of reports and analyses through media. This information helps determine the primary markets that attract exhibitors," Nassim Al Mehairi added.

The automobile spare parts trade has been recording steady growth in Dubai over the years, the department study revealed. Ms. Al Mehairi noted that Japan remained the leading exporter of spare parts to Dubai. It again topped the list of major exporters in 2007 for a total value of Dhs2.7bn. Germany was second with exports of Dhs1.75bn, followed by China with Dhs1.56bn.

"As far as export from Dubai over the same period is concerned, Libya was in the lead with Dhs31.3m, followed by the United Kingdom and Yemen with Dhs30.5m and Dhs30.2m respectively," said Ms. Al Mehairi.

The top three re-export destinations in 2007 were Iran (Dhs2.13bn), Iraq (Dhs633m) and Russia (Dhs331.5m).