Great designs and UAE customer demand continue to fuel General Motors record Middle East growth in 2006

March was GM's 29th consecutive record month of sales in the region and this was the auto manufacturer's best ever first quarter performance.

The United Arab Emirates alone saw sales increase by a massive 111% over the same period in 2005, witnessing sales increase to 3,571 units in the first three months of 2006.

"While Chevrolet continues to drive our success in all of our largest markets, our sales are up due to the growing popularity of all our brands," commented Terry Johnsson, Managing Director of GM Middle East speaking to journalists at a media briefing held in Dubai. "2006 is a critical year in our long Middle East history with 12 major product launches planned across our entire brand portfolio."

"These launches include some very important models for GM in the region and we are particularly encouraged by immediate popularity of these new models in the USA where they were introduced recently," he added. "This success shows that GM is designing and making cars & SUVs that customers really want all over the world while at the same time independent consumer surveys show that GM makes the highest quality vehicles in the world."

GM is enjoying tremendous growth across almost all Middle East markets driven in particular by Saudi Arabia, which traditionally accounts for about 60% of GM's total regional sales. In the Kingdom sales grew by 19% to 15,660 units in the quarter.

Sales in the United Arab Emirates, another key market for GM in the region, grew by an impressive 111% to 3,571 units. Sales in Oman were up 47 %, Qatar sales were up 93% and the Levant markets (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) saw sales increase by 31%.

GM's sales growth is being driven by all its major brands. In the first quarter of the year, sales of Chevrolet were up by 15% to 16,990 units, Cadillac and HUMMER sales grew by 58% to 1,139 units, while GMC recorded a 36% increase to 8,049 units.

The Chevrolet Aveo and Optra were the top selling GM models in the region, followed closely by long time Middle East favourites the GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Caprice and GMC Suburban. Aveo sales in the Middle East were up 77% to 3,416 units while Optra sales rose 66% to 3,445 units. These "value" Chevrolet cars are fuelling GM growth worldwide and in the Middle East as a new generation of drivers find the answer to their motoring needs in a Chevrolet.

GM's iconic premium brands have also witnessed positive sales growth in Q1 2006, with Cadillac and HUMMER sales up 58% to 1,139 units. This growth is driven partly by the popular new HUMMER H3, which reached showrooms around the region in the latter part of last year. 564 units of the H3 were sold in the three-month period.

"General Motors continues to stand behind its products," added Johnsson. "As well as the continued growth, there have been a number of highlights in the quarter. We officially launched the GM Technical Training Program in Riyadh, a joint training initiative with the General Organisation for Technical and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) in Saudi Arabia and His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan officially opened Bin Hamoodah's new Chevrolet showroom to mark the re-launch of the brand in Al Ain."

"Chevrolet Motor Sports was introduced to the Middle East at the F1 Grand Prix in Bahrain with the announcement of a Lumina CSV Championship race series," he added. "These highlights, added to the launches planned for the remainder of 2006, give us confidence that we can continue our unprecedented growth by offering customers in the Middle East quality vehicles with genuine appeal."