Nissan Puts Saudi Women Behind the Wheel With Surprise Instructors

Celebrating Saudi Arabia’s historic decision to grant women driver’s licenses, Nissan recently offered a group of young women the chance to get behind the wheel for the first time — with a surprise group of driving instructors.

The company has released an inspirational video about the initiative, part of its #SheDrives campaign, which encourages women to embrace the exciting prospect of becoming fully licensed drivers in 2018.

The women in the video say that while they are delighted by the prospect, they face reluctance from some of their family members.

To help them overcome this, Nissan invited aspiring female motorists to hone their driving skills and build confidence on a closed driving course, with a plot twist: Instead of professional instructors, the women were met by their respective husbands, fathers and brothers, who were their teachers for the day.

"2018 is earmarked to be a pivotal moment in history for women in the Kingdom,” said Bader Al-Houssami, chief operating officer at Nissan Saudi Arabia. “We wanted to launch a campaign that’s just as emotional as it’s innovative, which ultimately is at the heart of what we at Nissan strive to achieve. The #SheDrives campaign aims to motivate women all over Saudi Arabia with a clear message: When the time comes, the decision to drive will be entirely yours.”

A direct link to the video can be found here: https://my.nissan/She-drives. Nissan Saudi Arabia invited viewers to share their reactions to the video and their messages of support by using the hashtag #SheDrives.