New product launches continue to fuel General Motors record Middle East growth in 2006

In the United Arab Emirates, year-to-date sales grew 108% to 7,815 units over the same period last year.

"I am proud of our year-to-date sales results, especially since they reflect our highest quarterly performance ever in this region,"

commented Terry Johnsson, Managing Director of GM Middle East speaking to journalists at a media briefing held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "Our new generation Cadillac Escalade and full-size SUVs, which include the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban alongside GMC Yukon and Denali, received immediate recognition and acceptance by the market. The Chevrolet brand continues to enjoy tremendous growth by our offerings in the small car segment with the Optra and Aveo."

GM's positive performance is consistent across all its major brands, with Chevrolet fuelling GM growth in the Middle East. Year-to-date sales of Chevrolet are up by 21% to 41,024 units over the same period last year. Among the top selling GM models in the region was the Optra, which in comparison to the same period last year, witnessed a sales increase of 49% to 7,787 units while Aveo sales also increased 43% to 6,928 units over 2005.

GM's premium brands have also experienced outstanding sales performance. Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab year-to-date sales grew by 60% to 2,741 units over the same period last year. The Cadillac DTS year-to-date sales increased 40% and the iconic HUMMER H3, which entered showrooms around the region in the latter part of last year witnessed sales of 1,284 units in the first six months of 2006.

A long time Middle East favourite, the GMC Yukon XL sales increased 3% to 6,880 units, bringing GMC year-to-date sales to 18,471 units, an increase of 15% over the same period last year.

GM maintained its momentum throughout the second quarter across the whole region. In Saudi Arabia, GM's largest market in the region, year-to-date sales grew 7% to 36,074 units over the same period last year. Sales in Bahrain increased 5% to 970 units, Kuwait sales levelled at 7,950 units and the Levant markets (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) saw sales increase by 46% to 2,771. Sales in Oman increased 37% to 1,040 units, Qatar sales were up 101% to 2,652 units and sales in Iraq were up 103% to 3,228 units.

"Our customers have told us that success in the marketplace depends on a combination of great cars, strong brands and overall ownership experience, and that is exactly what GM is doing in the Middle East," added Johnsson. "A recent study undertaken to benchmark prices of spare parts for compact cars revealed that GM is more economic than any of its competitors. Further expanding GM's growth and investment in the Middle East, we will soon introduce our high performance vehicles such as the Cadillac STS-V and XLR-V along with the Chevrolet Captiva."