Emirates Automotive Market in September 2023 grows for the 11th month in a row, reporting 21,175 new registrations (+12.2%). YTD figures at 193,698 are up 20.2% from the previous year. Mitsubishi loses 49.5% in year-on-year sales.

Market Trend and Outlook

Emirates vehicle market in September 2023 grows for the 11th month in a row, reporting 21,175 new registrations (+12.2%). YTD figures at 193,698 are up 20.2% from the previous year.

Looking at cumulative data up to September 2023 brand-wise,  the leader Toyota reports 54,386 new registrations with a 10.4% growth in volume compared to the prior year and 28.1% market share. Nissan in second is lags behind with 30,648 new registrations this year (+28.3%).

Mitsubishi maintains 3rd position with 6,965 cumulative registrations despite falling 49.5% compared to the previous year.

Looking at specific models the Nissan Sunny becomes the best seller rising 1 spot and 40.2% in year-on -year volume, followed by the Toyota Hilux down 10.2%.

Medium-Term Market Trend

UAE vehicles market flourished in the period 2010-2015, more than doubling volumes from 213.072 in 2010 to 408.154 in 2015, the current all-time record.

However, the growth was broken by the reduced purchase power that arrived in the second part of 2015 due to the sharp decline of oil revenue and the introduction of restrictive fiscal policies.

The market started to fall down in 2016 and in 2018, when the government introduced a 5% VAT duty, the annual volume was back down at 247,652 units.

In 2019, like in other markets in the region, the UAE market started recovering. Indeed, the Full-year ended at 263,001 sales, improving 6.2% from the previous year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic sales fell in  2020 at the lowest since 2008. A 26% recovery in 2021 was just a light in a trend not yet positive, with next year’s expected not to be easy for the industry, due to the expected global recession that would reduce the oil price in the international market reducing UAE revenues.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for top 10 Brands

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Market Report

The report provides a comprehensive and complete overview of the market competitive environment including information on the sales volumes of cars and light commercial vehicles, market size, market share, and industry trends.

Through our comprehensive global sales database and the expertise of seasoned consultants in this field, we can help you gain further insight into the automotive market trends and base your business decisions on actionable data.

Table of contents

• Country Overview
  • Geography
  • History
  • People & Politics
• Economic Outlook
  • Economy
  • Infrastructure
• Market Outlook
  • Market Heritage
  • Car Passenger’s segmentation
  • LCVs segmentation
  • Car Passengers Body Type mix
  • LCVs Body Type mix
  • Premium segment share
  • Chinese OEMs share
• Key Players
  • Top selling Groups 2022
  • Top selling Brands 2022
  • Premium Brands
  • Chinese Brands
• Market Data By Model
  • Top selling Models 2022
  • Top models by segment and body type
• Key Factors for market Evolution
  • Country development
  • Economic Outlook
  • Customer base evolution
  • Low-Carbon Transition Policy
  • Infrastructure & Investments
• 2023-2028 Volume Forecast
  • TIV evolution by segment
  • Cars and LCVs forecast
  • Segments forecast
  • Premium segment share forecast
  • Chinese OEMs share forecast
  • Forecast by Manufacturer

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Emirates Automotive Market in 2022 totals 217,245 sales, a 2.0% increase from the prior year. December grows for the 2nd month in a row, with 18,570 new registrations (+8.2%). MG in 8th spot rises 87.1%.

Market Trend and Outlook

Following the sharp recovery scored in 2021 (+26.5), the light vehicles market has lost steam and increased moderately in the 2022. It is in fact still very far from the levels reached few years ago.

In 2022 the Light Vehicle Market totals 217,245 sales, a 2.0% increase from the prior year. Confirming the overall uptrend, December grows for the second month in a row, with 18,570 new registrations (+8.2%).

Looking at cumulative data from 2022 brand-wise,  the leader Toyota at 66,504 sales is back over 30% market share with a 13.4% increase from the previous year. Nissan in second is lags far behind with 32,997 new registrations this year (-6.4%).

Mitsubishi maintains 3rd position with 28,577 cumulative registrations and a 10.6% growth in sales.

The Chinese MG keeps growing fast, increasing sales by 87.1% from last year. Thanks to an amazing performance in 2022, it has jumped 8 spots securing 8th position in the rankings.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for top 10 Brands

UAE’s market in 2021 rises by 26.4% with 216,535 sales, reporting a very strong performance all year, except for Q1 when sales fell 6.9%. Suzuki shines, gaining 159.9% and rising 9 spots.

Market Trend

The UAE car market this year recovered very effectively from the crash of the previous year, rising in double-digits all year except a fall in Q1.

Stricken by the 2008 financial crisis, the UAE vehicles market performed an outstanding growth in the period 2010-2015, more than doubling volumes from 213.072 in 2010 to 408,154 in 2015.

However, the growth was broken by the reduced purchase power that arrived in the second part of 2015 due to the sharp decline of oil revenue and the introduction of restrictive fiscal policies.

The market started to fall down in 2016 and in 2018, when the government introduced a 5% VAT duty, the annual volume was back down at 247,652 units.

In 2019, like in other markets in the region, the UAE market started recovering. Indeed, the Full-year ended at 263,001 sales, improving 6.2% from the previous year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic sales fell in  2020. In fact, 171,252 units have been sold, reporting a decline of 34.9% compared to 2019.

In 2021 the year started negatively for the UAE market, in fact, in Q1 49,602 units have been sold, reporting a 6.9% decrease in sales compared to Q1 2020, while in Q2 sales started growing quickly, reporting a 72.1% increase in sales with 55,461 units due to the incredibly low volumes in Q2 2020.

In Q3 sales kept growing quickly, gaining 43.6% with 54,212 units sold, while in Q4 sales gained 19.2% with 57,260 units.

Indeed, Full-Year sales for 2021 have been 216,535, reporting a 5.5% increase compared to 2020.

Brand-wise, this year the leader Toyota (+13.8%) lost 3% market share, followed by Nissan (+8.6%), which lost 2.7% share, and by Mitsubishi which on the other hand gained 4.2% share, rising 95.6%.  BMW remained in 4th place and gained 21.4%, followed by Kia which gained 38.8%.

Hyundai -up 1 spot- gained 51.5%, followed by Suzuki (+159.9%) which reported the best performance and rose 9 spots, and Lexus -down 2 spots- which gained 12.6% sales. Closing the leaderboard we have Chevrolet -up 1 spot- gaining 28% this year and Mercedes entered the leaderboard by rising 37%.

The most sold vehicle this year is the Toyota Land Cruiser (-1.4%) with 13,101 units sold, overtaking the Nissan Patrol (-15.6%) registering 11,950 new sales this year. The Toyota Hilux (+11.6%) closes the podium and reports 10,543 new units sold.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for top 10 Brands and top 10 models.

UAE auto market in 2020 falls by 29.1% as the pandemic and the fall in oil prices affect sales. Full-Year sales have been 171.252, while Mitusbishi falls by 3.8% share by losing more than half its sales.

Market Trend

The UAE car market has been hit in 2020 by the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic and by the fall of oil price in the international markets, which have impacted sales significantly.

After starting the year with a very slight negative trend (-2.7%), the market quickly collapsed in March as the virus struck, followed by the quick fall of the oil price. The sharpest drop in sales this year was in April when sales declined by 67.1%. The market did not recover very effectively for the rest of the year, in fact, all the following months reported double-digit sales drops. The only month with positive sales in the entire year has been February (+7.4%).

Indeed, Full-Year sales for 2020 have been 171.252, reporting a decline of 29.1% compared to 2019.

Brand-wise, this year the leader Toyota (-21.1%) gained 3.8% market share, followed by Nissan (-26%), which gained 1.2% share, and by Mitsubishi which lost 3.8% share, falling 53.6% and registering the worst performance in the leaderboard.  BMW remained in 4th place and lost 40.7%, followed by Kia -up 4 spots- which lost 15.7%, registering the best performance in the leaderboard.

Lexus -down 1 spot- fell in 6th place and lost 25.4%, followed by Hyundai (-35.8%) and Ford -down 2 spots-  which lost 44.6% sales. Entering the leaderboard we have Honda -up 2 spots- losing 16.1% this year and Chevrolet in last place losing 39.6%.

The most sold vehicle this year is the Nissan Patrol (-7.6%) with 14.162 units sold, overtaking the Toyota Land Cruiser registering 13.288 new sales this year. The Toyota Hilux (-11.3%) closes the podium and reports 9.451 new units sold.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for top 10 Brands and top 10 models.

UAE best selling cars ranking in 2019 saw a new leader, the Toyota Land Cruiser, winning the fight against the Mitsubishi Pajero and the former leader, the Nissan Patrol. Outstanding performance scored by the Mitsubishi Montero Sport, entering the top 10.

In 2019, the Toyota Land Cruiser won the battle for the leadership in UAE, conquering the market throne with 6.8% of share, ahead of the Mitsubishi Pajero and the former leader, the Nissan Patrol, both holding 6.4%.

In fourth place, the Nissan Sunny held 4.6% of market share, followed by the Toyota Hilux with 4.4%, the Toyota Prado with 2.9% and the BMW X5 with 2.6%.

Behind, 2 models entered the top 10. Indeed, the Toyota Camry landed in 8th place with 1.8%, ahead of the Toyota Land Cruiser P/U, while the fast-growing Mitsubishi Montero Sport gained the 10th place.

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Rank 2019	Rank 2018	Model	Sales 2019	2019 Var
1	3	Toyota Land Cruiser	16482	9,9%
2	2	Mitsubishi Pajero	15441	-3,2%
3	1	Nissan Patrol	15333	-28,7%
4	4	Nissan Sunny	11165	-0,4%
5	5	Toyota Hilux	10653	15,0%
6	6	Toyota Prado	7113	-15,4%
7	7	BMW X5	6212	-13,0%
8	15	Toyota Camry	4268	20,6%
9	10	Toyota Land Cruiser P/U	4221	3,1%
10	27	Mitsubishi Montero Sport	4103	149,3%
11	12	Toyota Fortuner	3440	-6,1%
12	11	Nissan Kicks	3409	-8,9%
13	21	Mitsubishi L200	3400	30,1%
14	9	Toyota Hiace	3379	-20,8%
15	14	Nissan Altima	3217	-9,2%
16	19	BMW 7 Series	3048	10,8%
17	16	Lexus LX V6	2939	-0,2%
18	18	Nissan Sentra	2756	-0,9%
19	13	Toyota Corolla	2584	-27,8%
20	20	Nissan X-Trail	2484	-5,0%
21	25	Toyota CAMRY HV	2282	6,9%
22	35	Toyota Yaris sedan	2263	71,6%
23	40	Toyota Rush	2228	97,9%
24	86	Mitsubishi Attrage	2096	276,3%
25	22	BMW 5 Series	2036	-12,6%

Emirates Automotive Market in 2019 has started recovering, despite the total volume is well below the record hit in the 2015. Indeed, in the Full-year ended at 263.001 sales, improving 6.2% from the previous year. BMW gained the market podium, well ahead of the rival Mercedes.

 Economic Environment

UAE’s economic growth was likely tepid in the second half of last year, although firm data is still outstanding. The non-oil private sector PMI weakened throughout H2, and in December posted the lowest reading in over a decade due to meek demand conditions and weak production.

However, the oil sector should have provided some support thanks to higher output, notwithstanding OPEC+ production cuts. In other news, the UAE cabinet recently approved a multi-entry five-year tourist visa for all nationalities, which aims to create jobs and boost the tourism industry going forward.

Market Trend

Stricken by the 2008 financial crisis, the UAE vehicles market performed and outstanding growth in the period 2010-2015 more than doubling volumes from 213.072 in the 2010 to 408.154 in the 2015.

However the growth was broken by the reduced purchase power arrived in the second part of the 2015 due to the sharp decline of oil sector revenue and by the introduction of restrictive fiscal policies.

The market started to fall down in the 2016 and in the 2018, when the government introduced a 5% VAT duty, the annual volume was back down at 247.652 units.

In the 2019, as other markets in the region, the UAE market started recovering. Indeed, the Full-year ended at 263.001 sales, improving 6.2% from the previous year.

As in all the Gulf countries, Toyota is market leader since ever. However, a trend in place sees Toyota losing share in favor of several new competitors. In the last decade Toyota share declined from a record of 35.1% in the 2015 to a lower peak of 25% in 2019.

Nissan is second performing in the UAE better than in any other country in the Middle East. In the 2018 Nissan reached the record share of 21.0%, but in 2019 was back at a more normal 16.7%.

In third place the premium brand BMW and in fourth Mitsubishi, which in the UAE has a considerable gap over the traditional rival, Mercedes, which is the best selling premium brand world-wide.

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 Models

Emirates Automotive Market 2018 reported the third fall in a row with 247.652 sales (-10.9%), down almost 40% from the 2015 record. Market is hit by austerity measures, reduced public investment and price increase, related to VAT introduction. The market leader Toyota at the lower share in the decade.

Economic Environment

Growth in the non-oil economy was likely broadly robust in the fourth quarter but nevertheless softened noticeably in December, when the PMI fell to an over two-year low on the back of weaker external demand.

Meanwhile, although oil prices plunged in the quarter—which likely hit fiscal revenues in turn—oil production increased significantly in the same period, which bodes well for GDP growth in Q4. The December slowdown was also likely temporary, as indicated by still-upbeat business confidence in the month.

Although the economy remains relatively sensitive to oil market fluctuations, prospects appear promising this year. A strong dose of fiscal stimulus and the ongoing infrastructure investment push related to the preparation of Expo 2020—which will notably buttress the construction sector—should drive momentum.

VAT Introduction

Back in June 2016, all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states signed the Common VAT Agreement. It was agreed that each GCC Member State would introduce a VAT system at a rate of 5%.

On January 2018 a Value Added Tax (VAT) has been introduced in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the first time, breaking a milestone, if considering Gulf states have long attracted foreign workers and capitals with the promise of tax-free living.

But governments want to increase revenue in the face of lower oil prices and a 5% levy is being applied to the majority of goods and services. For “technical reasons” other members of the Gulf Co-operation Council – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar -, also committed to introduce VAT,  have delayed plans until at least 2019.

Market Trend

UAE vehicles market is running across the hardest crisis of last decades, following a long period of robust expansion.

Indeed, in recent years sales grew from 291.000 in the 2012 to the all time record of 408.252 established in the 2015. The demand contraction related to the oil price decline in the international market hit the country more than any other in the region.

In addition, it must be considered the relevance of trading activity for vehicles registered in the Emirates and then exported (others GCCs and Africa), which fell down in parallel, hit by the low demand in Africa and in the other GCC countries.

Consequently the consumer demand for vehicles is falling down and in the 2018 the market reported the third lost in a row with only 247.652 sales (-10.9%) having lost almost the 40% from the record level.

Brand wise, the 2018 leader was Toyota selling 64.736 vehicles (-21.6%) further losing market share, actually at 26.1%, the lowest in this decade.

In second place Nissan with 51.978 units (+8.4%) followed by Mitsubishi with 28.378 (+16.4%) and BMW with 17.962 (-8.5%).

Tables with sales figures

UAE best selling cars ranking in the 2018 reported the same leader of the previous year, the Nissan Patrol. In second and third place the Toyota Land Cruiser and Mitsubishi Pajero.

UAE vehicles market generally performed well in Q3, despite higher oil prices pushing up the import bill. High-frequency indicators for Israel, such as the manufacturing PMI, state of the economy index and business confidence, point to a solid showing, likely driven by domestic demand.

On the political front, at the end of September the UAE approved a highly expansionary 2019 federal budget. Spending is set to rise by over 17% year-on-year, as the government takes advantage of the fiscal breathing room provided by higher crude prices.

As far as the best-selling car ranking, in the 2017 we have a new leader, the third in three-year, and after the Mitsubishi Lancer (2015) and the Toyota Land Cruiser (2016) the king of the year is the Nissan Patrol. The Japanese model in the current 6th generation is near to be replaced, but thanks to the special desert equipment maintains all its competitiveness and actually is offered at a very attractive price.

In the 2018, the Nissan Patrol leads the market with sales at 19.023 (+36.9%).

In second place the former leader, the Toyota Land Cruiser with 11.243 units (-14.8%) followed by the Mitsubishi Pajero with 10.223 sales (+56.2%).

In fourth place the Nissan Sunny with 7.025 units (+50.2%), followed by the Toyota Hilux, with 6.745 (-21.2%), the  Toyota Prado with 6.169 (-15.9%), the BMW X5 with 4.699 (-14.1%), the Mitsubishi Lancer EX with 4.622 (-40.9%), the  Toyota Camry  with 3.582 (-35%) and in 10th place Toyota Land Cruiser P/U with 3.143 (-16.6%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for the top 100 Models

UAE best selling cars ranking in the 2017 reported a new leader, the third in three years, thanks to the progress of Nissan Patrol in a descending markets. In second and third place the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux.

UAE vehicles market is running across the hardest crisis of last decades, following a long period of robust expansion. Indeed, in recent years sales grew from 291.000 in the 2012 to the all time record of 408.252 established in the 2015.

The demand contraction related to the oil price decline in the international market hit the country more than any other in the region. In addition, it must be considered the relevance of trading activity for vehicles registered in the Emirates and then exported (others GCCs and Africa).

This activity has been hit as well, due to low demand from Africa and others GCC countries. The effect was a huge fall in the 2016 and again in the 2017, when full year sales fell down at 276.081 (-11.2% )

As far as the best-selling car ranking, in the 2017 we have a new leader, the third in three-year, and after the Mitsubishi Lancer (2015) and the Toyota Land Cruiser (2016) the king of the year is the Nissan Patrol. The Japanese model in the current 6th generation is near to be replaced, but thanks to the special desert equipment maintains all its competitiveness and actually is offered at a very attractive price.

In the 2017 was one of the few models increasing volume from the previous year, with 21.151 sales (+36.2%).

In second place the former leader, the Toyota Land Cruiser with 17.702 units (-3.4%) followed by the Toyota Hilux with 11.445 sales (-25.3%)

In fourth place the Toyota Prado with 9.360 units (-6.2%), followed by the Mitsubishi Lancer, with 9.026 (-20.9%), the BMW X5 with 8.285 (+11.1%), the Mitsubishi Pajero with 8.071 (-31.6%), the Toyota Camry with 7.196 (+6.7%), the Nissan Sunny with 6.677 (+0.4%) and in 10th place Toyota Hiace with 5.615 (-6.7%).

Tables with sales figures

In the tables below we report sales for the top 100 Models