Mufareh Bin Mohammed Al Zahrani, director of transport & road affairs (Western Region), formally opened the event and toured the stands at the show, where he was introduced to new models and technical developments in the 2011 ranges on display.
Zahoor Siddique, exhibition director said that the event had proved itself as a keystone attraction for nearly four decades. “The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to the car industry sector through which their innovations can be demonstrated.” The show traditionally attracts over 100,000 visitors each year. This said Siddique underscored the point that the show featured every sector of the automotive industry from city cars to luxury cars, SUV's and motorcycles. “It also caters to the young affluent Saudi motoring enthusiasts where there is a growing demand for customizing, in-car entertainment and hi-end accessories.” Over 200 companies are exhibiting at the event including 17 from Turkey and four from Iran with ranges of spares and accessories. Two halls and an outside display area for commercial vehicles and custom cars comprise the show areas. The main hall houses the major exhibitors and a magical classic car collection from Ibnmansi which includes a clutch of classic Corvettes and a magnificent Auburn Speedster.
Hall 2 is dedicated to aftermarket and accessories for the public.
Familiar names at the show include Nissan, Honda Hyundai and Kia with major distributors in the Kingdom adding to the mix. Significant by their absence are Toyota, Mercedes and BMW and most of the exotic cars, with the exception of Lotus.
Siddique observed that the global recession had affected the automobile sector in the Kingdom. He opined that there had been a shift from manufacturers and distributors exhibiting at every automobile event, he had noticed that they tended to choose between either Riyadh or Jeddah. He was upbeat about the recovery and the crowds that flocked to the event on the first evening indicated that interest in new developments was still high for the public.
Saudi Arabia is the single largest automotive market in the Gulf region and of the 4.5 million passenger cars in the GCC over 2 million are in the Kingdom whose buoyant new vehicle market exists alongside a thriving pre-owned market of 46 percent of pre-owned vehicles.
