Saudi Arabia 2011: Toyota Hilux & Camry on top, Hyundai shines

Toyota Hilux. Picture by Nora Al-Soli. All rights reserved.

Toyota Camry. Picture by Ageel. All rights reserved.

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The Saudi car market accounts for roughly half of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region with 51,695 registrations in December and 594,299 in the Full Year. The Toyota Hilux is the best-selling vehicle in Saudi Arabia in 2011 with 44,744 sales and 7.5% share, followed by the Toyota Camry at 38,940 units and 6.6% and the Toyota Corolla with 38,708 sales and 6.5%.

Hyundai Accent. Picture by Ahmad Saleh. All rights reserved.

Hyundai had a very strong year in Saudi Arabia. It places the new generation Accent at #4 over the Full Year at 28,634 units and 4.8% but the Accent could well threaten the Toyotas for the pole position in 2012: building up all through 2011, it reached an outstanding 2nd place in September and December when it was only 54 sales below the Corolla!

Hyundai Elantra

For its last year, the previous generation Hyundai Elantra ranks 5th with 23,462 sales and 3.9% and it even managed to do the impossible while in run-out mode: rank #1 overall for 2 months in April and May when it delivered the highest monthly volume of any model in the country in 2011 at 5,252 sales and a record 10.2% share!

Hyundai Sonata. Picture by Ahmad Al-Abdan. All rights reserved.

Below the Toyota Yaris, the Hyundai Sonata delivers a very solid 7th place at 20,181 units and 3.4%, peaking at #3 in March. A Saudi oddity, the Ford Crown Victoria manages to grab the 8th place this year with 16,488 sales. The new generation Hyundai Elantra is an instant hit: launched in April it was already #4 in July and finishes the year at #10. There are 4 American SUVs in the Top 20: the Chevrolet Tahoe at #12, GMC Yukon at #14, Ford Expedition at #19 and GMC Yukon XL at #20.

In December, the Toyota Corolla keeps the lead at an impressive 9.6% share ahead of the Toyota Camry at 7.9% and Hyundai Accent at 6.7%. The Toyota Yaris is up to #4, Ford Crown Victoria up to #5, Toyota Sequoia up to #20, GMC Sierra up to #21, Kia Optima up to #31 and Dodge Charger up to #35.

Previous month: Saudi Arabia November 2011: Hyundai Accent threatens Toyota Corolla

Full Year 2011, December and every Monthly Top 100 Ranking Tables below.