(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)Sales of sport-utility vehicles or SUVs outside North America will surge 40 per cent in the next four years particularly in Asia recent statistics by Carmudi have shown.
In 2014 for the first time ever SUVs and crossover vehicles surpassed sedans in the US accounting for 36.5 per cent of the new vehicle market. For decades the traditional four-door sedan has dominated global roadways but the gap has narrowed for years in the West. Carmudi analysed data based on thousands of listings in the last quarter to understand if the same trend will be seen globally and in the Middle East. Data revealed that car buyers in Asia browsed most for sedans particularly in Myanmar (59 per cent) Sri Lanka (57 per cent) Bangladesh (51 per cent) Pakistan (50 per cent) and Indonesia (38 per cent). While it is unlikely that motorists in Asia will completely turn their backs on sedans the slow but apparent shift towards SUVs is taking place notably in the Philippines where 25 per cent of Carmudi visitors are browsing for SUVs compared with 19 per cent of users browsing for sedans. The Middle East is close to the sedan to SUV tipping point which was seen in the US only a few years ago. In the UAE 39 per cent of car buyers browsed sedans compared to 33 per cent of users who browsed large-size vehicles such as the estate crossover SUV and vans or minibuses. In Qatar almost 40 per cent of car buyers browsed for sedans while 37 per cent browsed for large-size vehicles. Saudi Arabia is leading the SUV charge with 37 per cent of users browsing for SUVs compared to 30 per cent interested in sedans. Sedans are also very popular in Africa particularly in Nigeria where 55 per cent of searchers are browsing for them the highest in the region. Domestic auto manufacturers like the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Nigeria's first automaker have followed this trend and made history late in November 2014 when it built 500 vehicles including the Umu sedan at its plant. Things look slightly different in Ghana where 41 per cent of searchers are browsing for SUVs compared to the 35 per cent that are browsing for sedans. Toyota still remains the most searched brand in the region with Nissan and Honda close at its heels. Three of Toyota's offerings lead the search the Corolla at the top and the Land Cruiser and Camry coming in second and third respectively. -
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