Al Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co, the sole authorised Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer in Saudi Arabia, has been named the world's largest Ford Crown Victoria dealer for 2000, grabbing the title for the fourth consecutive year.
The dealership registered an unsurpassed overall 340.6 per cent increase in Crown Victoria sales 1995-2000 with an average 30 per cent year-on-year growth since 1995.
In 2000, Al Jazirah beat runner-up Warnock Group, the largest Crown Victoria dealer in the US, by a margin of 43 per cent.
Dale Wendell, executive director and general manager of Ford's Worldwide Direct Market Operations (WDMO), said: "Al Jazirah has carved a major market for the popular North American-made Crown Victoria, while meeting Saudi consumers' preference for the traditional large-car virtues of safety, roominess and comfort.
"Crown Victoria's success in Saudi Arabia underlines the importance of the Kingdom in our growth strategy for the region, and is a credit to the sales and marketing efforts of Al Jazirah's team, led by its president Shaikh Abdullah Al Kraidees." The Crown Victoria has been one of Al Jazirah's major success stories, said Ford's regional office.
"Its popularity among Saudi families owes a great deal to its smooth ride, comfort and luxury, impressive safety features, roominess, efficient fuel economy and wide availability of spare parts and service," it said.
"The American-made, V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive vehicle has acquired a huge following throughout the Kingdom, from law enforcement agencies to corporate fleets, and from company executives to families." Crown Victoria's already high level of safety is enhanced for 2001 with the addition of a standard Personal Safety System. The system uses various sensors to determine the severity of an accident and then - in milliseconds - activates appropriate safety devices in the vehicle. Last year, the Ford Crown Victoria was awarded the US Government's double five-star front crash test rating for driver and front seat passenger safety, and features second-generation air bags and side-door intrusion beams. Headquartered in Riyadh, Al Jazirah is the sole distributor of Ford and Lincoln products throughout Saudi Arabia, with showrooms in Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Al Madinah, and 16 sub-dealers covering the rest of the Kingdom.
