Gulf August 2014: Nissan Patrol consistently shines

 The Nissan Patrol is the best-selling non-Toyota in all 4 nations covered in this report.

* See the Top 50-200 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Thanks Ldman *

Now that Gulf Cooperation Council data is available for August, I will share with you the highlights in each country in the region. You can find the Saudi Arabia update here and the UAE report here, for the remaining four countries and the Gulf region as a whole, see below for the complete analysis.

In Bahrain, new car sales slow down their growth to 8% year-on-year in August to 4,718 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total to 42,266 units, up 17% on 2013. The Toyota Prado outsells both the Land Cruiser and Hilux to jump into pole position with a fantastic 455 units and 9.6% share. Its deficit on the Land Cruiser year-to-date is now only 85 sales, meaning the Prado should dislodge the Land Cruiser from its YTD throne if it continues at the same rate. The Corolla (4.5%), Hiace (3.7%) and Yaris (3.3%) make the Top 6 100% Toyota this month in Bahrain, with the best-selling non-Toyota being the Nissan Patrol at #7 followed by the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. The Lexus LX continues to deliver world-best performances here, ranking at an outstanding #10 with 2.4% share, with the Mitsubishi Lancer (#15) and BMW 7 Series (#25 vs. #59 year-to-date) also performing particularly well.

The Lexus LX is among the 10 best-sellers in Bahrain.

In Kuwait, the new car market is markedly less dynamic than other parts of the region, up ‘only’ 3% year-on-year in August to 12,188 registrations and 2% year-to-date to 100,964 units. Operating the exact reverse move than in the UAE and Bahrain, the Toyota Hilux takes a frank advantage over the Prado in Kuwait, selling a huge 1,308 units this month for a 10.7% market share vs. 7.6% year-to-date. 10.7% is exactly the market share of the Toyota Prado year-to-date here, however at just 7% in August it ranks 2nd while the Toyota Camry rounds up the podium in both rankings. The Corolla completes a Top 5 100% Toyota with the Nissan Patrol the most popular non-Toyota here too at #5, one spot below its YTD ranking. Noticeable good performers in Bahrain this month also include the Mitsubishi Lancer EX at #8 vs. #31 YTD, the Toyota Aurion at #15 vs. #27, the Hyundai Sonata at #18 vs. #33 and the Hyundai i10 at #41 vs. #154.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Pickup leads in Oman with 12.8% market share.

In Oman, new light vehicle sales have stalled: up 2% in August to 18,970 registrations but down 5 units (!) year-to-date to 145,954…  The Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-up achieves the unbelievable feat of topping the Omani models sales charts with a huge 12.8% market share thanks to 2,419 sales. It still ranks 2nd year-to-date however at 10.3% below the Toyota Hilux at 11.3%. Here too the Top 5 is 100% Toyota with the Prado (#3), Land Cruiser (#4) and Hiace (#5) and the Nissan Patrol is the best-selling non-Toyota at #6. Notice the Toyota RAV4 up to #12 vs. #22 YTD, the Lexus LX at #13, Lexus ES back up to #24, Nissan X Terra up to #29, Nissan Juke up to #34 and the Geely EC7 at #53 after shining at #30 in July vs. #80 year-to-date.

The Ford Figo is a new entrant in the Qatari Top 10

In Qatar, the market is up a very satisfying 23% in August to 7,770 registrations which brings the year-to-date total to 62,541 units, up 8% on 2013. Surpassed by the Toyota Hilux in the July models sales charts, the Toyota Land Cruiser reclaims its due title this month thanks to just one unit! It sells 482 examples over the month vs. 481 for the Hilux, but remains firmly in control year-to-date at 5,155 sales vs. 4,287. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Top 4 models are 100% Toyota (add the Corolla and Prado) and in Qatar too the best-selling non-Toyota is the Nissan Patrol at #5 and 3.6% share. Great performances of the Nissan Navara up a huge 63 spots on July to #7 vs. #38 year-to-date, the Ford Figo taking off at #9 and 2.6% share vs. #52 YTD and the Chevrolet Tahoe up 12 ranks to #17.

Previous posts for each nation:

Bahrain June 2014: Toyota Prado beats Land Cruiser

Kuwait June 2014: Toyota Camry on podium

Oman June 2014: Top 6 best-sellers 100% Toyota

Qatar June 2014: Toyota Hilux edges past Land Cruiser

Previous year for each nation:

Bahrain Full Year 2013: Toyota Prado dislodges Land Cruiser

Kuwait Full Year 2013: Toyota Prado leads at record 10.3% share

Oman Full Year 2013: Toyota Land Cruiser PU/HT at world-best #2

Qatar Full Year 2013: Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX shine

Full August 2014 Bahrain + Qatar Top 50, Kuwait + Oman Top 100 models Ranking Tables below.