Year-to-date sales of Ford and Lincoln vehicles grew 5 percent in Saudi Arabia at a time where regional industry averages were estimated to have dropped by 15 percent, Ford Middle East's Director of sales Hussein Murad said. The company sees further growth in the Kingdom next year thanks to ambitious expansion plans announced by the local Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer, Al Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co. (AJVA), in the run up to the 2009 Riyadh Motorshow on Dec. 12-16. AJVA currently runs 14 major branches across the Kingdom and the region's largest parts depot. It plans to operate four additional facilities by the end of 2010. “These are exciting times for Ford Motor Company both globally and regionally, as we see the results of our transformation plan come to life through the exciting new products and innovations that we are introducing as well as our recent achievements in the areas of manufacturing, quality and technology,” said Murad. “This global success naturally is reflected in the Middle East and specifically here in the Kingdom as we see increased consumer preference on our products,” he added. Ford today is gaining market share thanks to the dedicated efforts of Al Jazirah and their commitment to the Ford business, and we are positive that the momentum will grow as they launch additional dealerships and serve more Saudi customers.” Sabah bin Abdullah Al Kraidees, AJVA's director of Sales and Marketing said: “Al Jazirah's relationship with Saudi consumers goes back a long way. Since more than two decades, we have kept true to the Al Jazirah promise, which is to offer world-class products from the Ford and Lincoln brands, while delivering superior service through our state-of-the-art dealerships, and we pride ourselves in this.”
