Auto dealers in Oman betting on Ramadan promotions to rev up sales

Muscat: Automobile dealers in Oman, who have experienced a dip in sales due to the economic downturn led by the oil price decline, are set to come up with lucrative offers to boost sales this Ramadan.
“Sellers are witnessing a marginal dip in sales due to the oil price decline. However, by coming up with offers this Ramadan they are optimistic that they can cushion the effect. The month of Ramadan is always the time when automobile sales are at their peak,” Jaison Mathai, senior marketing manager at Toyota in Muscat, said.
“Most probably, we will announce our offers by the last week of this month,” Mathai said, adding that the month of Ramadan is the best time to buy vehicles in Oman.
Suzuki has already has come up with some offers.
“This Ramadan, Save more with Suzuki. Cash gifts up to OMR1,500 + Free insurance + Free 40,000km Service + Free Registration + Free Samsung 40 LED,” a push message from Suzuki read.
Since oil prices started slipping globally and as companies and people have started adopting austerity measures, vehicle sales have dropped in Oman.
According to National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) data, there was a 26.6 per cent drop in the registration of vehicles over the January to November period in 2015, compared with the same period in 2014.
While the number of vehicles sold in 2014 was 130,157, in 2015 it was only 95,540.
The decline in new registrations was most prominent among private and taxi vehicles, motorbikes and tractors.
Registration of private vehicles fell by 36.3 per cent to 64,699, while that of commercial vehicles shrank by 11.2 per cent to 22,703.
Meanwhile, an official from a luxury car brand confirmed that luxury car sales had been impacted overall in Oman.
“As most of the customers are business owners and looking at their business projections, which are not healthy, it has slowed down their purchase decisions,” Muhammed Faisal Nawaz, marketing manager at Bentley, revealed.
“We see this year as a tough one but with the launch of the new Bentley Bentayga (the first ever Bentley SUV) we see a lot of interest among our audience,” he added.
Research from ReportLinker pointed out that the global automotive market is expected to grow at a stable percentage to reach a million units in sales.
“It will be driven by growth in the United States and Western Europe, which will offset the slowdown in China and the decline in Japan,” the report added.