Saudi women car owners skyrocket

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Saudi Arabia's booming economy has sparked a huge rise in the number of women buying cars, despite the fact women are banned from driving in the kingdom, automobile industry figures have revealed.

Speaking at this week's annual Riyadh Motor Show, car makers said the industry is responding to the demand by offering certain models and colours that appeal to females, who rely on chauffeurs to drive them, newswire Reuters reported on Monday.

"There is increasing demand to buy cars, especially from working women. The women's workforce in Saudi Arabia is becoming powerful and influential. You find business women everywhere and business geared towards women is growing rapidly," a sales executive with a major car manufacturer said, quoted Reuters.

Ali Alshihri of Toyota cited the Camry, Aurion and Avalon models among women's favourites, while popular colours included pink and purple. He said the main buyers of cars were older and single women.

The final day of the car show on Wednesday is reserved for "families", a Saudi custom, and is the only day that women are allowed to attend the exhibition.

Nissan said it will be targeting women with its Infiniti model, while General Motors (GM) said its new Cadilac is to be marketed in the kingdom for the first time with female buyers in mind.

According to figures published by state oil firm Saudi Aramco this year, car ownership among the female population skyrocketed 60% between 2003 and 2006, taking the total number of vehicles owned by 75,522 women to 120,334 at the end of last year.

A women's right drive is becoming an increasingly contentious issue in Saudi Arabia, with many beginning to question the status quo. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.

A group of women in September submitted a petition with 1,100 signatories to King Abdullah urging the Saudi ruler to end the ban, the first public challenge to the prohibition in 17 years.

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