Car sales across the country have accelerated by almost 30 per cent this year, the biggest rise since 2005.
More than 200,200 cars were sold in the UAE between January and August this year, according to industry figures.
“We haven’t seen [that number for] the last seven or eight years,” said Michel Ayat, the chief executive of Arabian Automobiles.
“The last time the UAE automotive industry achieved this high percentage, 29 per cent growth, was in 2005,” he added.
The global average growth was just 5.3 per cent, according to an estimate by Nissan. Car sales in the United States and China have risen 8.5 per cent and 8.3 per cent respectively, while Europe is in decline, according to a Nissan estimate.
Mr Ayat said the rise in the UAE was thanks to factors including exporters benefiting from high oil prices, population growth and increased migration from Arab Spring countries. Arabian Automobiles has sold about 3,400 Nissan Altimas in the UAE so far this year – a rise of about 33 per cent on the same period last year.
Mr Ayat is confident the company can boost sales by a further 50 per cent in three years.
It is pinning its hope on the Altima 2013 model, which has just launched here, two months after the US.
But Nissan is not the only car manufacturer with strong sales. Audi said yesterday that its sales across the Middle East increased by more than 18 per cent in the first nine months of the year to 6,629 vehicles.
September was the highest month on record for the luxury German car manufacturer, which is due to open the world’s largest Audi showroom in Dubai next month. It sold 902 vehicles over the period, surpassing the 900 mark for the first time.
“If you look at where all the increases are coming from it is our A8, A6, and the Q7 is still one of the best-selling models,” said Jeff Mannering, the managing director of Audi Middle East.
Sales at Al Habtoor Motors have also been strong, with a 88 per cent rise in the number of Bentleys sold, from 165 to about 310, according to Karl Hamer, the managing director of the group.
The company’s two McLaren showrooms have between them sold 65 cars this year, with a starting price of Dh945,000 (US$257,279).
“We’re still number one in the world for Bugatti. We are number one in the world for Mitsubishi. And we are number two in the world for Bentley, with only Beijing, China ahead of us,” said Mr Hamer.
“The recession is now behind us. You can confidently say that the market is back,” added Mr Ayat.
gduncan@thenational.ae
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company%C2%A0profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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Mountain%20Boy
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Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
Company%20profile
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The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
