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General Motors has announced a 34 per cent rise in sales in Bahrain over the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period last year.
In the year in which GM celebrates its 100th birthday, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Hummer and Saab saw their sales in the country rise to 650 units, following on from a similarly strong performance in 2007 when the company grew by 10 per cent.
GM led the sales surge in Bahrain, with customers buying 176 per cent more cars than in the same period last year.
The company says the "huge increase" was greatly down to the new Acadia luxury Crossover SUV, which accounted for almost half of the brand's sales. Chevrolet also registered an increase, as did GM's Premium brands - Cadillac, Hummer and Saab.
Terry Johnsson, president of General Motors - Middle East operations, said: "It says a lot for the high regard in which General Motors is held in Bahrain that, in the year that the company celebrates such a remarkable milestone as its 100th birthday, the kingdom's new vehicle customers are buying more GMs than ever.
"The appeal of our cars can be attributed to the design and technologies they incorporate, our customer-focused strategy and the hard work put in by our dealers, National Motor Company and Mannai Motors.
"The year 2008 is set to be a historic year for GM in the region, not just because of the centennial, but because we will continue to introduce new initiatives.
"For example, we will continue to expand our industry-leading Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Programme across the region, with the launch of new dealer sites and a new on-line system, ensuring that our vehicles are as accessible to used car buyers as they are to new car buyers."
GM's success in Bahrain was replicated across the Middle East, with the company enjoying record sales of 32,440 units in the first three months of 2008, up six per cent on the same period last year, helped notably by the popularity of the Chevrolet and GMC full-size SUVs and continuing high demand in the region's smaller markets.
GM has enjoyed an increasingly strong presence in the Middle East in 2008, with sales of 10,745, up 41 per cent on 2007.
This growth has been driven primarily by demand for the new Acadia, with almost 1,700 units sold, as well as for the Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs - combined sales of these models have risen by 43 per cent to 6,553.
The luxury Cadillac brand grew by 51 per cent in the first quarter to 1,138, helped notably by the award-winning, all-new CTS sedan and the Escalade luxury SUV.
Hummer grew by six per cent to 934, while Chevrolet remains GM's strongest brand by volume, with customers buying 19,423 vehicles.
The full-size SUVs - the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL - took the plaudits as GM's best-sellers in the Middle East, with sales of 10,745, up 41 per cent on the same period last year.
Chevrolet's Captiva and Epica recorded increases of 46 per cent and 33 per cent respectively, while the smaller Aveo was up to 3,096, making it GM's second biggest seller.
The mid-size SUVs, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy, experienced a 17 per cent rise in sales.
