Riyadh: A group campaigning for an end to Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving called on Fuji Heavy Industries' Subaru cars unit to pull out of the kingdom until the ban is lifted.
The call follows US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's support for the group known as Women For Driving.
Clinton called them "brave," saying, "I am moved by it and I support them." The activists had questioned Clinton's silence over and earlier letter to her on June 3 asking for her support.
"It is our hope that this will put huge pressure on the Saudi royal family and shine a throw light on the ‘gender apartheid' in our country," the group said of its call for Subaru to exit the kingdom. "It's a chance for the company to live up to its brand and make a huge difference for nearly 13 million Saudi women."
Progressive
Subaru was the first carmaker targeted by the campaign because it is "progressive" and has marketed its products to women, the group said in a petition on US-based Change.org, a website for social activism.
The campaign may be extended to Detroit-based General Motors' (GM) Cadillac and Seoul-based Hyundai Motors, brands of cars which were used by Manal Al Sharif, a Saudi woman who was arrested last month for driving, said Change.org's human-rights editor, Benjamin Joffe-Walt.
Fuji Heavy Industries and its Subaru dealers in Saudi Arabia haven't "received any information of any campaigns," Tokyo-based Kenta Matsumoto, spokesman for the company, said.
"We only have dealers in Saudi Arabia, and no factories. Our annual sales in the country are limited to only 300 to 400 units," he said.
Hani Al Faqih, a Subaru manager in Riyadh, said that he had no immediate comment when asked about the campaign.
Hanspeter Ryser, spokesman for Cadillac Europe in Zurich, said he's not aware of any plans to change Cadillac's business in Saudi Arabia because of the ban.
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