The Show 

When an event remains at the pinnacle year after year, outperforming, outshining and outlasting all others, you can be sure that it has something special.

The Saudi International Motor Show has that something special. Its location in Jeddah – the undisputed centre of the Kingdom’s automotive market – is of course a factor but just as important are added value features that create a carnival atmosphere and result in a must-see family attraction delivering high returns to participants.

This show has never missed a year in more than a quarter of a century. Cars, motorcycles, trucks and commercial vehicles are showcased in glittering displays. Outside areas are transformed into an automotive extravaganza with  an ever changing programme of special features and action packed activities that has included stunt driving, motorsport events, an off-road experience and retail areas.

Consistently, more visitors come to the Jeddah show than any other comparable show and they remain on-site longer. Many do so as a family unit. The unique themed zones make it easy for buyers to locate the vehicles of their choice while other family members are catered for by features devised especially for families and children.

The Saudi International Motor Show is unbeatable – and very special.

The Market

The Kingdom’s automotive market is vast and represents the largest single automotive market in the entire Gulf region, with imports of new vehicles forecast to exceed six hundred and twenty thousand in 2007. But that statistic doesn’t tell the whole story, for with an estimated 5% growth per year, the Kingdom is not only the largest single market – it is larger than those of all the other Gulf States combined. Importantly, most vehicles remain in the Kingdom, unlike smaller neighbouring markets where many are re-exported.

All segments of the automotive market are well represented in the market, from motorcycles right through to commercial vehicles and heavy trucks. Within the car market there is more equality across segments due to relatively high sales of executive and luxury vehicles and also of 4x4 and SUV vehicles. The demand for family cars has never been higher and the performance car market – from the young man’s hot hatch to the executive’s supercar – is particularly buoyant, due in no small part to the recent arrival of motorsport to the region that is nurturing a rapidly growing number of young car enthusiasts.

Sales of new vehicles are paralleled by a flourishing market for imported pre-owned vehicles. Again, these are higher than elsewhere in the region and a driving force in a thriving aftermarket where products and services ranging from car accessories and modifications, service items and garage equipment to performance enhancements are in great demand. The overall market, valued in excess of US$ 2.3 billion per annum, has also stimulated domestic manufacturing, with the Kingdom having the largest share of automotive plants, 183 of the Gulf’s 300, and related investment worth US$ 980 million of the Region’s US$ 1.1 billion