JEDDAH, 9 February 2006 — Saudi Arabia’s luxury car segment, especially with sporty, speed and comfort features, continues to expand.
“Around 10,000 cars in this segment were sold by different dealers across the Kingdom in 2005,” a major car dealer said yesterday. “The segment’s sales graph is likely to rise this year by 10 percent,” Kamal Moumena, regional manager at Mohammed Yusuf Naghi Motors (MYNM), the exclusive dealer of BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini, told a press conference on the sidelines of BMW’s launch of Alpina B7 at the Jeddah InterContinental Hotel.
The Alpina B7, introduced here for the first time, has already generated “tremendous interest and some potential buyers have been waitlisted,” said Moumena, who was accompanied by MYNM’s Managing Director Musa I. Al-Aruri and National After-sales Manager Paiman El-Malla.
“The B7 is the first member of the Alpina family being introduced across the Kingdom. The series also comprises models such as V8, B10 and B3 S,” Al-Aruri said.
The B7 offers unprecedented levels of performance and handling capability. Equipped with a powerful engine that produces a 500bhp, the Alpina can reach a speed of 100km/h in 4.9 seconds. The car is equipped with an automatic six-speed transmission with F1 Switch-Tronic technology, which allows the distribution of speed to all wheels, Al-Aruri said.
BMW performed “exceptionally well” in the Middle East in 2005 posting record sales of 13,753 cars, a 31 percent improvement on the previous year. “Its sales rose by 14 percent across the Kingdom last year and thus maintained the number one position in the luxury segment here,” Al-Aruri said, adding that cars featuring speed, luxury and comfort stand bright prospects across the Kingdom and the Gulf. “This is more so, as the Saudi economy remains buoyant and is booming,” he added.
The UAE market came first with 4,733 cars sold in 2005 while the Saudi market ranked second with 2,743 cars sold, he said.
The team also gave the details of a new state-of-the-art service center costing more than SR30 million, which is currently under construction along the Jeddah-Makkah Ring Road. The 35,000 square meter complex will have a 5,400 sq m warehouse, a 5,900 sq m workshop, a body shop built over 3,300 sq m, and a 1,700 sq m reception area.
“The new center will offer a level of service that lives up to the expectations of BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini owners in the Saudi market and fulfills the promise to provide the very best after-sales service,” Al-Aruri added.
“We’ve signed an agreement with the Saudi Development Fund for training young Saudis at the new service center. The first group of 77 Saudis will commence their training soon and on successful completion will be absorbed in the Naghi-BMW service operations,” Al-Aruri said.
The center will establish direct links with the BMW automaker in Germany. This will enable local engineers and technicians to consult experts in that country for an on-the-spot guidance when necessary.
