JEDDAH, 17 June 2005 — Part two of the Mercedes-Benz M Class was unveiled with fanfare at the widely attended ceremony at Juffali Automotive premises here on Wednesday night. “Mercedes-Benz sowed the seed of a new segment seven years ago with the introduction of the original M Class,” Safi Kobeissi, general manager, E.A. Juffali & Brothers, Automotive Division, told reporters.
“With its cultivated performance, the second generation vehicle is a quantum leap forward. With its beguiling blend of strongly contoured surfaces and taut lines, the design of the new M Class is a majestic masterpiece of design,” he added.
Khalid Juffali, chairman, Juffali Industrial Products Company, said the M Class also sets the pace for other off-roaders to follow in terms of safety. Its occupant protection system is underpinned by a self-supporting body structure with large deformation zones in the front and rear ends and a wealth of top-class state-of-the-art technology fitted as standard.
“One of the great things about the new M Class for the customers is the fact that they are able quite really to personalize their car, they can tailor it,” Chris Vallance, regional sales manager for Mercedes car group, Daimler Chrysler Middle East, based in Dubai, told Arab News.
For example, they can select the seats for their new off-roader to suit their personal comfort requirements. In addition to the standard-fitted front seats with electrically adjustable height, backrest and cushion angle, sports seats with specially contoured backrests can also be specified.
Asked about the expected sales of the new model, and the Saudi Arabian market share in the region, he said, “We expect sales of the new M Class taking us right back up there. We have half of this year, and we are expecting sales for this year of 600 to 700 vehicles rising to a 1,000 next year in the Middle East region.”
Asked about the difference between the Saudi and the Dubai market, he said Saudi market was a very competitive market. One of the big differences was that Saudi customers enjoyed American products; they buy lot of American cars, as well as European, whereas in Dubai, it was more European.
Asked if the Kingdom’s upcoming membership of the WTO, was going to affect the automobile industry in general in the region, and Saudi Arabia in particular, Vallance said joining the WTO was going to have benefits for lots of industries, not just the motor industry.
“Obviously being in the motor industry, I hope it will benefit our industry greatly. I could not give you any hard facts of what would happen, but I think that good things would come of it,” he said.