JEDDAH — The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, are both working to reinforce the Kingdom's status by funding research and development, design, vehicle assembly and infrastructure initiatives to boost automobile exports. With plans underway to turn the Kingdom into a regional automotive powerhouse, the government's strong support is significantly motivating the sector to expedite growth and reinforce local business strategies. “Today, the Kingdom is a leading automotive market with firm restrictions on the age of imported vehicles, a rapid population growth, an increasing per capita spending power, and a robust economy – currently the largest in the Gulf and car sales are expected to hit SR94 billion in 2013” said Maher Al Nabawi, Deputy General Manager of Suzuki Saudia, on the sidelines of the Jeddah Motor Show 2012. “Suzuki Saudia is closely tracking the changes in the automotive market in KSA and accordingly we are responding to the market demands. Our participation in the Jeddah Motor Show 2012 reaffirms our confidence in the robust growth of the local automotive industry. This year we are showcasing vehicles under four categories – SUVs, sports cars, sedans (large and medium) and small vehicles. Given that Suzuki's SUV Grand Vitara, Jimny, Swift sports and Dzire have performed consistently well in the Saudi market, we expect another fruitful participation at this year's motor show,” he added. “The Suzuki Kizashi is another model that has been widely popular in KSA, in addition to Suzuki's other small cars Celerio and Alto, which are considered the most fuel efficient vehicles. With the new modifications and enhancements done by Suzuki Motors, we expect the 2013 models to be even more appealing in KSA, and we believe this event is ideally positioned for us to introduce Suzuki's 2013 models to this demanding market,” Al Nabawi noted. — SG
