Top Abu Dhabi car dealer reports 25% fall in sales

Al Masaood Automobile, one of Abu Dhabi's leading car dealers, has reported a decline of 25 per cent in sales last year compared to 2008, but projected a 10 per cent growth this year.

Humayun Alam, the company's assistant general manager, said it was a big drop in sales for the company due to the global slowdown. However, he said with the recent global launch of Nissan's 2010 all-terrain vehicle, Patrol, in Abu Dhabi and with the opening of their Middle East auto complex in Mussafah, sales are expected to increase in the emirate.

"There was a 25 per cent decline in 2009 compared to 2008 in our Nissan and Infiniti sales. This year, as the GDP is expected to increase by 2.5 per cent, we expect our sales to increase by 10 per cent compared to last year. This year, we want to have a turnaround based on the GDP," he explained.

Alam also said they were excited about the new products, such as the new Patrol, being launched in 2010, which are expected to further help increase sales.

"Unfortunately, I cannot yet disclose the names of the new exciting products in the offing, apart from Patrol that we launched recently. But I can say that some of them are high-end vehicles," said Alam.

He said 25 per cent of our revenues over the past five years came from Patrol.

Speaking about vehicle recalls that have plagued some Japanese manufacturers globally this year, he said so far there have been no recalls at Masaood Automobiles. "We have had no recalls, whether for Infiniti, Nissan or Renault. So far we are safe, I can assure customers," he said.

When asked about prices, he said it was driven by rise and fall of the Japanese yen, which, Alam explained, was a major impacting factor on prices. "The Japanese yen's appreciation or depreciation governs the prices of our Nissan vehicles."

Alam also referred to the Masaood group's recent inauguration of the Middle East's biggest auto complex, which has vehicle testing tracks, showrooms, reception areas and service centres spread more than 70,000 square metres built at a cost of $100 million (Dh367m) in the Mussafah industrial area. It houses Nissan, Infiniti and Renault products and services.

"This is our flagship auto showroom, inaugurated with our flagship model, Nissan Patrol, on display and tested on the new track. This complex is the first regional Infiniti-compliant facility. It is also the first such compliance complex in the GCC," said Alam.

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