Saudi women prefer minivans to larger SUVs

Saudi women tour a car showroom for women on Jan. 11 in Jeddah. (AFP)

JEDDAH: Le Mall in Jeddah hosted 萝莉视频鈥檚 first women-only car show last week.
The show 鈥� held under the slogan 鈥淒rive and Shop鈥� 鈥� came as a result of King Salman鈥檚 historic 2017 announcement that women would finally be allowed to drive in the Kingdom, starting in June this year.
The exhibition offered women information about various automotive brands, as well as financing options from the leading banks and financial houses in the Kingdom.
The automotive showroom was sponsored by a private Saudi dealership offering an assortment of 2018 models and brands.
Samia Mohammed Noor, a housewife and mother-of-five, told Arab News: 鈥淢y husband has a big SUV due to the size of our family, but I鈥檇 like to have a minivan; it鈥檚 better for me to handle than a bigger car.鈥�
Raneem Adel, also a housewife and mother-of-six, told Arab News: 鈥淚 actually wish I could have a minivan. I don鈥檛 want a huge SUV that needs lots of gasoline.鈥�
Majed Al-Harbi, who heads the Jeddah branch of the show鈥檚 sponsors, told Arab News: 鈥淭his showroom aims to present cars to women so they can learn more about cars and the choices they should be aware of before they decide to buy one when women are allowed to drive on June 10.鈥�
He added that the show had focused on cars that are fuel-efficient, an important
factor following the Kingdom鈥檚 introduction of the value-added tax (VAT).