JEDDAH, 7 July  — A seven-percent cut in import duty announced by the Kingdom last May might not reflect on car prices as new and improved models are relatively expensive, according to  a leading car importer here.

“Although the import duty has come down from 12 percent to five percent, the difference may not reflect in the prices of 2002 car models. This is because new models incorporating advanced technology are more expensive than the 2001 models,” Dr. Essam A. Banaja, vice president, Alhamrani United Co., sole distributor of Nissan cars, told Arab News.

Earlier welcoming a 14-member delegation from Nissan Motor Co. led by its Senior Vice President Keisuke Takebe at the launch of the 2002 Nissan Patrol model here over the weekend, Banaja said: “We’re the first in the Kingdom to launch a 2002 model. The new Patrol precedes a range of other Nissan models, which would arrive in the coming months.  We feel justifiably proud of our efforts in introducing Nissan products ...  into this market where our share has improved from 21 to 25 percent.”

Nissan has a clear record as a faultless manufacturer of cars, Takebe said, referring to pullout by some manufacturers of some models for manufacturing defects from world markets.

“The Patrol is one of the most strategic models in the Nissan lineup for the GCC market. After the present model was introduced to the GCC market in 1997, we’ve continuously worked to improve it to meet the market needs. The new Patrol is developed with a more powerful engine called 4800 VTC,” Banaja said.

He added that Nissan would launch five new models this year and 13 more in 2002 on a global basis.

“In the three years up to 2005, we’ll be launching 22 new models. The Gulf market is not an exception.... The all-new Infiniti Q45, which has been well-acclaimed in the United States and Japan since its recent debut, will be one of the new models,” said Banaja.

Takebe said: “We’ve made remarkable achievements in 2000. However, we’ve just moved from the emergency room to the recovery room. As the competition intensifies for survival, we’ll work harder and faster during the coming years.”