DriveArabia.com introduces vehicle safety ratings

Already the first automotive website in the Middle East region to introduce a professional auto blog, the first online price guide, and the first to offer tightly-edited original video clips, DriveArabia.com is currently attempting to revolutionise the GCC auto market with its Ultimate Car Buyer Guide section that includes long-term reliability and resale value ratings for all car models.

Launched barely a month ago in late June, the pages of this guide now integrates crash-test ratings for popular models, gathered from publicly-available data released by American and European safety organisations.

Star ratings are based on tests done by the U.S. NHTSA and the Euro NCAP, and since these tests are based on differing standards, the ratings from the two organisations are listed separately, to provide an overall view of a vehicle's safety standards.

"We believe this is the first time in the GCC region that crash-test data has been compiled and presented within the local media. There are many car buyers out there who are interested in the safety aspect of cars, but local marketing campaigns never emphasise that important point, especially since this region does not have test procedures of its own," said Editor-in-Chief Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury.

"I compiled the data myself for each and every model, including many older cars, and it has revealed some interesting facts. For example, a 2007 Audi A4 scored lower in NHTSA frontal crash tests than a 2007 Chevrolet Aveo. It proves that the highest price never guarantees the highest safety."

The addition of safety ratings enhances the already-comprehensive car buyer guide on the DriveArabia.com website, which is currently experiencing a massive increase in traffic, set off by the original launch of the revamped guide.

"Our recent growth rate has been impressive and we will continue to consolidate our position as the most popular English automotive website in the region," said Diego Martins, PR & Marketing Manager. "Our monthly pageviews have increased by 500% compared to a year ago, and we can already boast readership figures that put most local automotive publications to shame."

DriveArabia.com continues to experience unprecedented growth, attributed largely to word-of-mouth and search engines, with about 75% of all visitors coming from GCC countries.

Actual visitor figures, monitored by the third-party Google Analytics service, will be released publicly in the near future, once predetermined traffic targets are reached.