Despite the presence of other car brands in Saudi Arabia, GMC and Chevrolet will always hold its ground in the country. Eng. Sami Shubaily, dealership director in Jeddah of Aljomaih Automotive Company (AAC), distributor of GM and Chevrolet cars in the Kingdom, said the number one US carmaker is “already a part of the Saudi culture.” Back in the old days till now, the brand is a byword for a powerful car, whether it be in the urban or rural areas. It is the ideal workhorse. Back in the day a GMC was just a little fancier than a Chevy. At the launch of two new vehicles from Chevrolet - Cruze and Malibu in the Kingdom, Shubaily said: “AAC is committed to offering its customers unique vehicles, by presenting the best of brands and products from the automotive world, alongside best in industry after sales services.” He added that “both the Chevrolet Malibu and the Chevrolet Cruze offer high level of sophistication, luxury, quality, value and modern design for the mid and small segment sedans.” He noted that out of the three US carmakers' market in the Kingdom, GM controls the bulk at 70 percent, whereas Ford takes 24 percent and 7 percent for Chrysler. Shubaily remained optimistic that Cruze and Malibu would draw tremendous response from both the car aficionados and the middle working class. Mohammed Badran, AAC marketing director, added that both the Malibu and Cruze are considered to be the new generation of Chevrolet vehicles, fuelled by the launch of the new Chevrolet Traverse, along with the long awaited Chevy Camaro. “Chevrolet is renowned for its five-star crash test safety rating - the highest rating in the industry. Add to this, it has the best value for money, exceptional contemporary exterior and interior designs, and comfort for passengers,” he said. The 2010 Chevrolet Cruze compact value sedan has a starting price of SR53,500 for manual transmission models. Available in two trim levels, LS and LT, Cruze features a 1.8-liter, DOHC 4-cylinder gasoline engine delivering 140 hp, with either five-speed manual gearbox or an all-new 6-speed automatic transmission. Malibu, priced starting from SR78,000, is the safest mid-size sedan, with a five-star crash test safety rating, the highest possible. The LT is a 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder engine and an award-winning 3.6L direct injection V6. rpm. The 3.6L V-6VVT engine sprints to 278 hp (gross) at 6,400 rpm and 360 Nm at 2800 rpm.
