The first six months of 2008 represented the most successful half year since Volkswagen Middle East was established three years ago. Year on year sales have increased by a significant margin for Volkswagen Middle East and this year is no exception. In the first half of 2008 Volkswagen Middle East delivered almost 6,000 vehicles across the region, an increase of a staggering 42% over the same period compared to last year.
Mr. Hans-Dieter Keller, Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East said, “The team at Volkswagen Middle East is extremely proud of our sales achievement so far in 2008. A 42% increase is a phenomenal rise and we are confident that this will grow for the second half of 2008. Our expanding and increasingly individual product portfolio is a big contributor to our growth.”
He continued, “One Volkswagen vehicle that has really proved to be popular with customers around the region is our new SUV, the Tiguan which launched in the Middle East in May 2008. The sales figures and demand for the Tiguan has been exceptionally high and it has become a very important element in our ambitious growth plan for Volkswagen Middle East. Apart from our excellent model range, professional market coverage by our partners has also been crucial to our success.”
The Touareg is another model that is still winning the hearts and minds of customers in the Middle East, being the most popular Volkswagen vehicle in the region representing 29% of the Volkswagen Middle East total sales for first half of 2008. This is followed by the Passat which contributed to 23% of total sales and then the Jetta which accounted for 22%.
Mr. Keller added, “In the Middle East, the Jetta sales represented the biggest growth increase of 75% compared to the same period last year. The Jetta is increasingly being recognised as a modern and dynamic sedan that is both practical and economical especially for couples and families. Customers can also select from a wide variety of engine versions in the Jetta series, including the 1.6 litre, 2.5 litre and soon the Jetta GLI, the most powerful version, will add to the model line-up.”
In terms of markets, Yemen proved to be one of Volkswagen Middle East’s biggest growth markets with sales tripling over the past year. Following this growth pattern was Kuwait that almost doubled its sales over the same period last year. Dubai also witnessed an exponential growth of 69% in sales.
“With our current sales figures we are confident that we are on the right path to meeting our ambitious sales targets for 2008. We are positive that the growth that we are witnessing year on year at Volkswagen Middle East will continue to unfold throughout the year and for 2009 with the upcoming launches of many new models and engine versions including the Passat R36, the Jetta GLI, the Passat CC, the new era Scirocco and the greatly anticipated new Golf,” concluded Mr. Keller.
