Dubai: The regional market for luxury cars has recently regained strength, sales figures of top end vehicle makers show. Despite the mass consumer segment in the car market shifting to more affordable, smaller cars as a sign of a newly adapted frugality resulting from financial constraints, luxury car buyers are back in buying mood.
German luxury car maker Audi have reported Middle East sales growth of 8.5 per cent in the first half of 2010, saying that its big SUV model Q7 proved most successful, followed by the smaller SUV model Q5.
The UAE remains the biggest market in the region for the brand, according to Jeff Mannering, Managing Director of Audi Middle East. Audi registered a 16.4 per cent sales increase to 1,181 units in the Emirates. Further core markets are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both with over 500 units in sales in the first half of 2010 and 21.2 per cent and 0.4 per cent growth respectively.
"Audi is aiming for another sales record of over 1,000,000 cars delivered worldwide in 2010. The Middle East is an important part of that," Mannering said. He added that new luxury models are about to arrive, such as the Audi R8 Spyder and the flagship limousine A8.
Audi's competitor, Mercedes-Benz, recorded a six per cent rise in sales in the January to June period 2010 compared to 2009, the company said when it released its figures last month.
‘Most popular'
"Our most popular cars are the E-Class and C-class," Mercedes-Benz Middle East spokesman Julian Millward-Hopkins told Gulf News, referring to the middle and upper-middle class model range of the German manufacturer. Frank Bernthaler, Director, Sales and Marketing for Mercedes-Benz Cars Middle East and Levant, added that SUV deliveries "looked positive" and that he was convinced "that Mercedes-Benz could increase its market share with the introduction of the grand editions of the seven-seater GL and ML Classes in the next three months."
Lexus sales rose seven per cent in sales in the first half. The best performing Lexus model in the SUV range was the LX570, up 20 per cent on June last year. Al Futtaim will introduce several high-end models later this year and in 2011, among them new performance sports models of Lexus and a supercar Lexus LFA, Hugh Dickerson, Senior General Manager, Al Futtaim Motors, said
Infiniti, the premium range of Japanese car maker Nissan, has recently introduced its new luxury SUV QX and the M saloon which go on sale across the region in August and autumn 2010, respectively. The M salon targets the market segment of sporty upper class limousines, according to Antoine Barthes, General Manager, Infiniti Business Unit in the Middle East.
Rolls Royce said last month its sales in the Middle East increased by 98 per cent in the first half of the year, with Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia contributing the most to the rise. Abu Dhabi sales rose 200 per cent over the period.
The company said that the UAE is its fourth-biggest market behind the US, UK and China. For German premium car maker BMW, which owns the Rolls Royce brand, Middle East sales have seen a rise of 13 per cent in the first six months of the year.
The top sellers for BMW were the new 7 Series followed by the SUV models X6 and X5, the company said. Abu Dhabi recorded a growth of 38 per cent.
"We expect to conclude 2010 with the strongest sales performance in the company's 20-year history," said Arno Husselmann, general manager of BMW dealer Abu Dhabi Motors.
Aston Martin: Oman gets top brand
Aston Martin has opened a new showroom in Oman's capital, as the demand for luxury cars across the Gulf region continues unabated.
The Al Muhannad Al Hashar Aston Martin Oman showroom brings Aston Martin dealers in the GCC region to seven.
The new Muscat branch is located in the city's Al Sarooj district. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, said that this was the right time to be launching in Oman with strong local demand for luxury sports cars. "The new dealership in Oman is a strong stop towards our further expansion in the Middle East," Bez said.
