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Suzuki expands after-sales in KSA
Suzuki Saudia has opened a fully-equipped service center on Palestine Street, Jeddah, in line with its strategy to to provide after-sales services for the entire line of Suzuki vehicles. Other after-sales services will also be opened in with similar centers in Dammam, Riyadh, Madina and Mecca, in addition to branches in Jubail, Qassim, Tabuk, Taif, Jizan, Khamis Mushayt and Hofuf.
Mercedes E-coupe launched in Bahrain
Bahrain's Al Haddad Motors has launched the new E-Class Coupé from Mercedes-Benz. The new Coupé will initially be available in two versions, the E350 with a V6 engine producing 272 bhp and a 0-100 km/h time of 6.5 seconds and the V8 engine E500 that pushes out 388 bhp and can reach 100 km/h from zero in 5.3 seconds. The E-Class will be available across the Middle East as an E250 CGI in September and the E200 CGI in March of 2010.
Porsche to offer Qatar VW options
Porsche Automobil Holding SE might sell the majority of its options on Volkswagen AG shares to Qatar and divest a smaller stake in itself, Dow Jones Newswires has reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. If successful, Porsche's balance sheet could see a capital increase of around €5bn and additional financial support from Qatar through a credit or guarantees.
Dubai firm eyes French tyre plant
German automotive supplier Continental AG has said it is interested in a proposal from MAG group, a Dubai-based industrial and property group owned by Syrian millionaire Moafaq al-Gaddah, to buy a French tyre factory in Clairoix that is due to be closed. Continental has said it will send a response in the course of this week, reported Reuters.
Juffali opens new Benz center in Saudi
Juffali Automotive Company, the exclusive dealer for Mercedes-Benz cars in Saudi Arabia, has opened a new integrated center, which includes a Mercedes-Benz cars showroom, workshops and spare parts facilities, at Al-Khobar-Dammam highway in the kingdom's Eastern Region. The new center is in line with Juffali's expansion plans, the company said.
Arabian Automobiles offers 5-year extended warranty
Arabian Automobiles, the exclusive dealer for Nissan, Infiniti and Renault in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, has announced the introduction of Extended Warranty and Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) insurance, in association with Dubai Insurance Co., to its customer base in the UAE. The company said it has become the first dealer in the UAE to provide a five-year extended warranty with unlimited mileage. The GAP insurance is designed to protect customers in case of theft or total loss.
Qatar makes bid for Porsche
Qatar has made a bid for a stake in Porsche and options that can be converted into VW shares, reported Bloomberg. A Porshe spokesperson said negotiations with the Qatar Investment Authority will focus on a purchase price. A previous offer made by VW wasn't 'feasible' because it would trigger the immediate repayment of a 10.75 billion-euro ($15bn) credit line, the spokesperson said.
Japan's car exports to Middle East fall 73%
Japan's Automobile Manufacturers Association has said the country's vehicle exports to the Middle East in May had plunged 72.8% from a year earlier to 13,707 units, KUNA has reported. Japan's overall exports of cars, trucks and buses also sharply dropped 55.9% year-on-year to 233,217 units for the eighth straight month of decline, the association said in its monthly report.
Audi S5 on sale in Qatar
Saad Buzwair Automotive, Qatar's Audi authorized dealer, has announced the arrival of the new two-door four-seater Audi S5, the high powered version of the A5 grand touring coupe. The new model offers the latest generation of eight-cylinder engine that delivers 260 kW (354 bhp) and a maximum torque of 440 Nm that propels the Audi S5 to 100 km/h in just 5.1 seconds. With the introduction of the S5, Audi Qatar is now offering customers a choice of 2 engines in this range: the A5 with a 265 bhp six-cylinder 3.2 litre and the eight-cylinder 4.2 litre with a 354 bhp on the Audi S5.
Toyota and Porsche top JD Power awards
Toyota has grabbed 10 segment awards - more than any other car manufacturer - in the JD Power and Associates' 2009 Initial Quality Study. It got five for Lexus, four for Toyota and one for the Scion. The Study found that the Lexus LX has the fewest quality problems in the industry, with just 52 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). The industry average is 108 PP100. Ford got three awards, for the Edge, F-150 and Mustang. Nissan (Altima and Z) and Honda (CR-V and Ridgeline) got two awards each. Lexus led the nameplate rankings, followed by Porsche, Cadillac, Hyundai and Honda. The Mini came bottom of the nameplate rankings, with 165 PP100.
Bridgestone B250 on sale in Oman
Bridgestone's new B250 tyre series is now on sale in Oman, distributed by Towell Auto Centre. The B250 is a basic performance tyre for driving across all terrains. It is used by a number of manufacturers, including Toyota, Nissan and Mercedes. Bridgestone claims that they tyres have better rolling resistance, helping to improve fuel economy and so reduce CO2 emissions.
Porsche-Qatar negotiations in final stretch
A Porsche spokesman said the negotiations between sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Porche have entered the final stretch, mentioning QIA had finished examining its books, Reuters has reported. QIA Chief Executive Hussein al Abdullah has declined comment, but noted the negotiations have 'reached a positive conclusion'.
Bahrain Mercedes sales up
Al Haddad Motors, authorised distributor for Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Bahrain, has said that the group saw an 8% increase in its May sales, when it delivered 55 vehicles last month compared to 51 in the same month last year. Helping the sales success was the popular C-Class which saw deliveries increase by 20% over the previous year, the company said.
Porsche to give Qatar VW shares
Porsche is advancing toward a deal with Qatar to give the Gulf state a shareholding in Volkswagen, Reuters has reported, citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Porsche, which owns roughly 50% of VW stock, is now prepared to surrender its right to buy about a fifth of Volkswagen's voting shares, the sources said. 'It looks as if Qatar will buy Volkswagen shares,' said one source.
Suzuki Celerio available in Saudi
The sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Ahmed Bamarouf, has announced the launch of the new Suzuki Celerio 2010 compact car into the kingdom's market. In compliance with the safety requirements set by the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization, the compact five-door hatchback offers safety features including double airbags and an anti-lock braking system, in addition to the Total Effective Control Technology, wherein crushable structures are created to absorb impact energy and disperse it away from occupants in the event of a collision. Celerio is powered by a new state-of-the-art, lightweight K10B petrol engine which provides best-in-class fuel efficiency.
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