Hyundai Motor Company has repeated a third consecutive year of record sales for 2014 in the Middle East.

The automotive manufacturer recorded 339,813 unit sales across the region in 2014, representing an increase of 3 per cent when compared with 2013. The Korean brand has broken the 300,000 sales barrier each year since 2012, said a company statement.
    
The biggest market for Hyundai in the Middle East remains Saudi Arabia where an increase of 3 per cent saw 147,647 units sold.

Both Jordan and Lebanon grew sales by 9.5 per cent with 31,415 and 10,171 units sold respectively. The UAE was also up with a total of 22,192 units sold, as were Kuwait and Oman, while the single biggest increases came in Yemen and Palestine – up by 30 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

The demand for the SUV range, featuring Tucson, Santa Fe and Grand Santa Fe, proved strong across the region and accounted for 21.9 per cent of total sales (74,419 units), representing the strongest growth segment for the brand.

Among those, sales of Grand Santa Fe leapt 101 per cent (4,259 units) in its first full year on the market, while the Santa Fe posted a very strong rise of 24 per cent (32,212 units).

Hyundai’s range of compact and mid-size cars remained in high demand. Hyundai Elantra continues to be the best seller in the region, enjoying 92,881 units sold, followed by the Accent which recorded a boost of 9 per cent totaling 79,013 units sold.

The new Sonata helped push the mid-size sedan’s sales up to 28,556 units with a rise of 6 per cent.

The i10 the range posted the second highest growth of any nameplate with a jump of 67 per cent (21,373 units) thanks in part to the expansion of the model range following the introduction of Grand i10 during 2014.

Tom Lee, vice president and head of Hyundai Africa and Middle East Regional Headquarters, said: “2014 was another successful year for us in the Middle East with a third consecutive record year. This has helped us maintain our position as second highest selling automotive brand in the Middle East despite the strong offering of our competitors.”

“Our success is built around our Modern Premium brand direction, which has inspired  a range of cars that offers the Middle East car buyer a wide variety of relevant, high quality products to meet and exceed their needs and expectations, all of which is supported by a comprehensive dealer network offering outstanding service,” he added.

Hyundai Motor Company reported an overall increase in 2014 sales across Africa and Middle East of 1.4 per cent (511,494 units, including commercial vehicles) and 4.9 per cent globally (4,963,456 units, including commercial vehicles), it stated. – TradeArabia News Service