ABU DHABI // Nissan is aiming to double its market share in the Middle East and become free of debt by the end of this year.
Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Nissan, said the company had not reached its potential in the region, which would play a part in the car maker's continuing recovery.
"When people talk about the emerging markets, they talk about the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - but I also say the Middle East is an emerging market," Mr Ghosn said yesterday in Abu Dhabi while launching the latest Nissan Patrol.
Car makers worldwide experienced sharp falls in sales last year, after many potential buyers put off major purchases.
In the UAE, car sales slowed after banks tightened loan criteria.
The car market in the Emirates contracted by an estimated 8.5 per cent last year, to 324,900 cars, according to the UK consultancy Business Monitor International.
Mr Ghosn said Nissan suffered financially in last year's global economic crisis but last week returned to profit with a third-quarter net gain of ¥45 billion (Dh1.83bn) and the company expected to be debt-free by the end of this year.
He said Nissan was number two in sales after Toyota.
The newest Patrol is more luxurious, with extras such as DVD players, 7-speed automatic transmission and leather and woodgrain interiors that were introduced with the Middle East market in mind, Mr Ghosn said.
"I personally pay close attention to what is going on in the Gulf," he said. Local feedback on the Patrol was that it was "too frugal, too austere" for the Middle East.
Despite the public relations disaster created for Toyota and Lexus by global recalls over safety concerns, Mr Ghosn said that such problems for competitors only offered a "short-term advantage" for Nissan.
But the high expectations Nissan has for the Gulf will not be enough to offset declines in other parts of the world, he said.
"The European market is a very big market and it has a 10 per cent drop - 1.6 million cars disappeared. But the Gulf market is less than 1 million cars."
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Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm