Dubai: With few exceptions, global auto majors will look back on 2011 with fond memories. It will be more so if they home in on their performance in the Middle East.
Despite the Arab Spring and many economies still nursing themselves back to stability, buyers in many regional markets still managed to hit the showrooms and emerge with a new vehicle in tow.
Chrysler and Hyundai are the latest automakers to confirm that this was the case.
"In 2010, we achieved outstanding performance despite difficult market conditions," said Jack Rodencal, regional managing director at Chrysler Group.
"Our success continued in 2011 with almost all of our Middle East markets registering significant growth, resulting in a 20 per cent increase in sales over 2010.
"This performance is a major step forward within Chrysler Group's global business plan and clear evidence of the highly positive consumer reaction to the latest Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models."
The US manufacturer achieved sales of 15,246 vehicles last year compared with 12,664 in 2010.
"Significantly, we not only achieved the objectives we set for 2011, but also boosted our retail market share in what was a very challenging year," said Rodencal.
Shift gears
"No one is saying 2012 will be easy — far from it, as we know it will be very tough. [But] we will shift up another gear in 2012 and 2013, our intention being to at least double our Middle East sales over this period. To do so, we will further expand our model ranges and strengthen our activities in the region."
For South Korean auto company Hyundai, the year-on-year percentage gain came to 9 per cent to 283,953 vehicles.
"Across the GCC and Levant, customers have shown their confidence in our new range of ‘modern premium' cars in growing numbers," said Tom Lee, who heads Hyundai's Middle East operations.
"While our SUV line-up continues to perform strongly across the region, new models such as the Elantra, Sonata, Veloster and Accent, together with our flagship luxury cars, the Centennial and Genesis, are introducing the Hyundai brand into increasing numbers of homes."
The Hyundai dealership in the UAE, the Juma Al Majid Est., reported sales growth of 29 per cent with over 12,039 cars sold.
The Tucson SUV proved to be the most popular with some 2,691 sold, followed by the Sonata and Elantra.
In percentage terms, the dealership in Qatar experienced the highest gain, 93 per cent, followed by Kuwait (76 per cent gain over 2010) and Lebanon ( 35 per cent).
But the biggest regional market continued to be Saudi Arabia by a considerable distance.
From an 18 per cent year-on-year rise, the number of cars sold crossed 106,699. Bahrain and Yemen also registered gains, while Syria, Jordan and Oman were the biggest volume markets after Saudi Arabia.
Hyundai's 2011 sales in the region were led by the compact Elantra, with a tally of 72,980 units. In second came the Accent with 60,322 units.
Chrysler breaking records
Chrysler posted high double-digit growth numbers in most of the regional markets in 2011. The biggest gains were reserved for the last, with December representing the best month for sales, breaking all previous records, with volumes up 78 per cent over the corresponding period in 2010.
The new Dodge Charger saw more than 3,000 units sold, while the Nitro and Durango models also performed with 1,500 plus units of the former and 1,300 units finding buyers.
Last year also saw the emergence of Ram as a standalone brand along with a revised product and pricing strategy. "Our dealers are achieving excellent conversion rates with customers and it is clear that people in the market for new vehicles really appreciate the new-found quality and reassurance that our latest product ranges give," said Jack Rodencal, regional managing director of the Chrysler Group.
