Jetour UAE sales are up 30.6% over Q1 New car sales in the UAE decelerate by a harsh -18.6% over Q1 to 65,969 units. While January and February were stable, March volumes imploded -47.2% to 16,334 vs. 30,938 a year ago. The US-Iran war effect at play. Toyota (-15.1%) and…
The Tank 700 ranks #9 in Qatar over Q1. Qatari new car sales drop -10.9% year-on-year over Q1 to 19,617 units. Toyota (+0.3%) is stable and climbs from 28.3% to 31.9% share, distancing Jetour (-20.3%). Jetour would appear to have peaked here, down from 12.8% over Q1 2025 to 11.5%…
Toyota holds almost half of the Omani market in Q1. The Omani new car market slides -6.1% year-on-year over Q1 to 17,354 units. Toyota (+0.4%) is stable and as a result improves its share from 46.3% to 49.5%. Hyundai (+2.2%) is also solid at 6.4% of the market but Nissan…
The Toyota Land Cruiser is #1 in Lebanon so far in 2026. Contrary to other markets in the region so far, new car sales in Lebanon are euphoric over Q1 at +34.2% to 5,237 units. However keep in mind Q1 2025 was off -40.5% on the year prior, so the…
The Nissan Patrol is the best-selling vehicle in Kuwait over Q1. New car sales in Kuwait flounder -17.8% year-on-year over Q1 to 29,104 units. Toyota (-30.6%) is hit hard but remains ultra dominant at 24.4% share. Both Nissan (+22.9%) and Mitsubishi (+6.6%) defy the negative market with splendid YoY gains…
The Toyota Hilux is the best-selling vehicle in Jordan over Q1. New car sales in Jordan slide -17.1% year-on-year over Q1 to 7,352 units. Toyota (-13.7%) improves its share from 32.6% to 33.9% thanks to almost 2,500 sales. Kia (-40%) freefalls but remains in 2nd place above a returning Changan…
The Jetour T1 is the 2nd best-selling recent launch in Iraq. The Iraqi new car market loses one third of its year-ago volume over Q1 at -33.3% to just 29,765 units. Kia (-41.4%) falls significantly faster than the market and drops to 24.5% share, only 45 sales above Toyota (-32.8%)…
The Haval H9 is up to #6 in Bahrain over Q1. New car sales in Bahrain are in difficulty over Q1 at -18.4% year-on-year to 7,463. The top 3 carmakers defy the negative trend: Toyota (+8.1%) goes from 27.9% share a year ago to 37%, Jetour (+74.8%) more than doubles…
Toyota Holds 93% of the Yemeni market so far in 2026. The Yemeni new car market is in great shape so far in 2026 with sales up 27.5% to 3,312 units. Toyota (+35%) is back up to 93% share, leaving crumbs to the rest of the brands present in the…
Kia is the best-selling brand in Syria over Q1. Thanks to the improving political and economic situation, the Syrian new car market is slowly reviving. It goes from 103 sales over Q1 2025 to 1,828 a year later. No less than 6 brands have reentered the market to sell alongside…
This post has been updated with more photos. For this last update we select the three most impressive brands at the Beijing Auto Show 2026. This time a foreign brand makes it to the cut! Maextro The brand was already in our most impressive section last year but it has…
This post has been updated with more brands and pictures. After detailing the notable foreign brands at the Show, it is now time to go through the notable domestic brands, still in alphabetical order. We will cover the three most impressive Chinese brands in a separate post. Here we go…
This article has been updated with additional photos. As is the case every year, BSCB had the opportunity to attend the China Auto Show in 2026, this time in Beijing. Firstly the Show is now a dual-venue format, held at the old China Exhibition Center (Shunyi Hall) and the adjacent…
Reliability matters when buying a full-size SUV. The 2026 Nissan Armada is built for long trips and drivers who want real space with strong performance. It offers modern technology and a more premium feel than many shoppers may expect from a Nissan full-size SUV. Still, one question matters most for…
Understanding Shifts in Automotive Buyer Preferences Consumer preferences in the automotive market have evolved significantly in recent years. Where once horsepower and basic reliability were the primary purchase triggers, today’s buyers are increasingly influenced by customization potential, tech integrations, and lifestyle enhancements. This reflects broader changes across consumer industries; personalization…