SUV market in Emirates trails on the right track

RITIKA SHARMA / Emirates Business

Accounting for a major chunk of overall automobile sales, the SUV (sports utility vehicle) segment in the UAE is on the right track, experts say. The sales in the country are higher by a substantial 5-6 percent as compared to other GCC nations.
Given the elements of luxury, style and comfort that are combined in SUVs, UAE residents are keen on buying them — be it their first car or a second-hand buy.
Mark Simon, an auto engineers and blogger based in Abu Dhabi, told Emirates Business, “It is true that UAE has SUV consumption that is more than many nations in the world, there are many factors behind its growth. Trends state that SUVs are among most loved car-types in UAE and every new launch gets its fair share of attention and sale as the buyers are not just spending money they are making informed decisions and are open to trying new designs.”
According to reports, the SUV imports in the Emirates accounted for 400,000 vehicles and above last year.
“The automobile market in the UAE is regarded as one of the most active in terms of regional sales growth every year. The country is one of the leaders when it comes to new car sales growth and majority of this business comes from the SUV sales,” Simon added.
Various big auto brands keep feeding the customer curiosity and urge for improvement by launching new models. Experts believe the strong response that automakers get for their new launches is one major factor that is driving the growth of this segment in UAE.
Karl-Johan Sandesjo, General Manager, Gargash Enterprises said in an official statement during the official arrival of new generation Mercedes-Benz SUV GLS, “The projected sales performance of the GLS will fuel future figures and contribute to our growth. Just like 2015 was the year of SUVs, we’re anticipating the same for 2016 as well. The impeccable and refined GLS will change the way people look at SUVs. It has everything that a vehicle possesses and more. Our aim is to break new grounds in the SUV segment and provide people the best-in-class SUV range”.
As positive as the market looks, experts believe the SUV segment
in auto industry is here to stay and set to grow.