Continuing growth in construction and infrastructure sectors coupled with favourable government policies will drive Saudi Arabia’s commercial vehicles market to grow at a CAGR of over 8 per cent through 2020, a report said.

Commercial vehicle market in the country is predominantly import driven, with most of the vehicles being shipped as CBUs (Completely Built Units) or SKDs (Semi Knocked Down) units, explained the report titled "Saudi Arabia Commercial Vehicles Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020" from TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.

Saudi Arabia is poised to witness continuing growth in demand for commercial vehicles, due to robust growth in the country's infrastructure projects coupled with anticipated increase in bus imports into the country, in order to address growing transportation requirements of Haj and Umrah pilgrims, the report said.

Commercial vehicles market in Saudi Arabia is forecast to be dominated by light commercial vehicles segment, followed by buses and medium & heavy commercial vehicles.

With increasing government focus on diversification into non-oil sectors coupled with continuing growth being witnessed in Saudi Arabia's logistics sector, demand for light as well as medium & heavy commercial vehicles is expected to grow through 2020. Moreover, the bus segment is anticipated to witness the fastest growth rate in the forecast period due to strongly growing demand for public transportation, according to the report.

Almost all major global OEMs have collaborated with local companies and have marked their presence in Saudi Arabia commercial vehicle market. Toyota, followed by Isuzu, Hyundai, Mercedes, Volvo, and various Chinese companies, are some of the leading players in Saudi Arabia commercial vehicles market.

Mercedes, MAN and Isuzu are few leading companies operating their assembly plants in the country. Zahid Tractors & HM Ltd, the exclusive distributor of Volvo, has acquired land in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) for establishing an assembly plant for Volvo in the coming years, the report said.

"In 2015, the government announced construction projects worth USD1 trillion, which is expected to significantly contribute towards growth of the commercial vehicles market in Saudi Arabia during the coming years,” said Karan Chechi, research director with TechSci Research.

“Also, on account of deteriorating traffic situation and increasing demand for labor transport, need for an effective public transportation system in the country is rising. This is forecast to drive demand for buses in the country through 2020,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service