Almana Motors - the importer-dealer of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in Qatar - has appointed its first sub-dealer in the country.

Almana Motors and Ford Middle East & North Africa (MENA) jointly announced the appointment of International Auto Trading as Almana's first sub-dealer in Qatar. Almana said the move signified a stepping up of its commitment to making products of all three brands more accessible to consumers across the country and to supporting those products with superior service. Yaser Shabsogh, Ford general sales manager for the Middle East and North Africa, said: "This is great news. We are pleased with this expression of confidence by the management of Almana Motors in its partnership with Ford.

International Auto Trading has invested an initial sum of QR2 million ($549,000) in the sub-dealership. Almana Motors said the firm was entering the field at a time of growing consumer interest in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products.

The new facility is situated in Al Sidd Street, a prime location within the shopping and commercial district of Doha. The 325-sqm showroom is designed to display up to 10 vehicles, supported by a full service department and spare-parts centre through its collaboration with Almana Motors.

"We would like to warmly welcome International Auto Trading to the Ford family," said Bader Almana, managing director of Almana Motors. "We are very happy at having fathered this initiative, and grateful for Ford's support.

The launch of this sub-dealership reflects our confidence in the future of our Ford partnership." Amr Shoushaa, general manager of International Auto Trading Company, said: "We have started this venture because of the vast growth that Qatar is witnessing."