For a long time, women’s driving ban tarnished Saudi Arabia’s image in the international society and set back its economy by hundred folds. Recently, King Salman ordered to establish a committee to give its proposal on lifting this ban, which is likely to be implemented in June 2018.
Auto brands have applauded this announcement. Nissan tweeted, “Congratulations to all Saudi women who will now be able to drive,” accompanied by a license plate picture imprinted with “2018 GRL”.
The Reuters report indicate lifting women’s driving ban will add 9 million drivers across the country encompassing 2.7 million non-Saudi resident females. The decree might be a bad news for 1.3 million chauffeurs, but it will lift Saudi car sales by 15 to 20% annually, according to forecasting firm LMC Automotive.
With Aston Martin DBX model due in 2019, Lamborghini and Bentley are also set to introduce their SUV models in Saudi Arabia that have proved to be most popular among women. LMC analyst David Oakley commented, “The move to allow women to drive is set to benefit the entire market but we might expect to see a disproportionately positive impact on super-premium brands.”
At the moment, Nissan, Hyundai-Kia, and Toyota claim the highest auto market share in Saudi Arabia, but that might change with women selecting their preferred auto brands.