General Motors's sales in the Middle East rose 26 per cent in the fourth quarter, compared with the year prior, helped by big gains in Iraq, it announced today (WED).
The carmaker sold 123,258 vehicles in the Middle East in 2010, up 5.5 per cent from the previous year, it announced today.
But sales picked up pace in the final quarter, with 38,450 Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC vehicles sold across the region, up 26 per cent from the same period in 2009.
Its fastest growing market last year was Iraq, due to increased political stability in the country, said a GM spokesman.
Sales in Iraq in 2010 rose 52 per cent, year on year. But in the fourth-quarter, GM's sales in Iraq rose by 112 per cent compared to the same period one year earlier.
"It's mainly the stability... in 2007 we started seeing the country becoming more and more stable, and sales have been picking up," said the GM spokesman. "There is a correlation between the two."
Saudi Arabia continued to be GM's biggest regional market, by sales, due in part to its relatively large population. Sales in the Kingdom rose by 7 per cent year on year, and 28 per cent in the fourth quarter, compared to the same timeframe in 2009.
Sales in Kuwait and the UAE, the other two large markets for GM in the Middle East, remained flat compared to 2009, the spokesman said.
Cadillac was GM's fastest growing brand in the Middle East, with sales up 26 per cent year on year. Chevrolet sales were up 9.2 per cent year on year, due in part to new models including the Cruze and Malibu. GMC remained flat over the year.
These results come after a difficult period for General Motors, which went through the second-largest bankruptcy in history. It filed for Chapter 11 in 2009, and later received a nearly US$50 billion government bailout money. Later that year, GM sold off its iconic 4X4 brand Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, a Chinese equipment maker.
GM later emerged from bankruptcy in July 2009. In November this year, it launched a public offering of its stock on the New York Stock Exchange, raising more than $20 billion.
aligaya@thenational.ae
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
