DaimlerChrysler Middle East recorded a 14 percent increase in its 2001 sales compared to the previous year. A total of 25,371 Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, vans, trucks, buses and Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles were sold, breaking the 25,000 unit barrier for the first time since Mercedes- Benz and Chrysler International merged in 1999, confirmed a company release.
Mercedes-Benz passenger cars saw a significant sales increase from 11,500 units in 2000 to 12,800 in 2001, boosted by the launch of the new C-Class car, the model with the highest regional sales increase of the year. C-Class sales rose by 91 percent in 2001 compared with 2000, with a total of 2,300 units purchased.
“The S-Class continued to dominate the Middle East’s luxury sedan market with sales of 5,700 units in 2001, making the region one of the biggest markets for this vehicle range within DaimlerChrysler,” said President of DaimlerChrysler Middle East Per V. Rasmussen.
Sales of the Chrysler Sebring mid-size family sedan were up 113 percent over the 2000 level, while the Grand Voyager experienced an annual increase of 18 percent. The E-Class maintained its position as a market leader with 2,200 units sold regionally in 2001.
Sales of Mercedes-Benz ML and G-Class 4x4 vehicles also rose with 1,600 units sold in the Middle East, an increase of 20 percent compared to 2000. The Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands also performed well helped by the regional launch of six new vehicles. Sales increased by three percent from 7,400 units in 2000 to 7,633.
Middle East sales of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles grew by 40 percent over 2000 to 4,520 units. Total sales on trucks reached 2,900 units and bus sales doubled to 332 helped by fleet orders from the Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC) an the Tamimi and Saihati Transport Company, (TASECO) in Saudi Arabia, whose 800 Haj transport vehicles are scheduled to be delivered annually up to 2004.
DaimlerChrysler Middle East parts sales rose from $108 million to $115 million in 2001, helped by the move into a new warehouse at the $17 million regional headquarters and logistics center in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai. The new facility will house 55,500 stock keeping units including Mercedes-Benz label parts and the brand for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles.
DaimlerChrysler Middle East also added three new markets, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to its remit, bringing the number of regional countries covered to 12 with a total of 27 General Distributors. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
