JEDDAH – French vehicle manufacturer Renault has been named as the first European car brand in Saudi Arabia for the year 2012. At a ceremony held at the Renault showroom on Madinah Road, Jeddah, Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer of Renault, presented Gulf Advantage Automobile (GAA) – the exclusive distributor of Renault in Saudi Arabia since 2010 – with an award for “making Renault the first European brand in the Kingdom.” In 2012, Gulf Advantage Automobile achieved 7,005 units Renault sales, a 22 percent sales growth compared to 2011 which has been even higher than the evolution of the Saudi market which has grown by 17 percent in 2012. Speaking on the occasion, GAA Chairman Sheikh Ahmed Bahwan said: “It is a privilege to accept this honor from the Renault COO himself. I would like to express my gratitude for this recognition and the commitment of Renault to succeed in KSA. The vision to provide the customers in KSA with quality vehicles from Renault backed up by high levels of after sales service from our side has been instrumental in driving the sales of Renault vehicles in KSA. I am deeply humbled by this response from our customers.” The function was attended by top officials from Renault SAS and Renault regional office based in Dubai. Since GAA's appointment in 2010, Renault has registered sales of over 14,000 vehicles in the Kingdom – a commendable achievement in just three years that clearly highlights the strategic partnership between the two companies. GAA is a joint venture between Al-Baazei Company of Saudi Arabia and Suhail Bahwan Company of Oman. The Saudi-Omani joint venture company, set up with an initial investment of SR100 million, will establish a training center for young Saudis to work as technicians at eight service centers planned in the Kingdom. — SG
