General Motors (GM) has sold 100,000 cars in the Middle East region during the first nine months of 2006, marking a 21 percent increase over the same period last year, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported on Sunday.

Visiting GM General Manager Terry Johnson revealed the figures at a press conference on Saturday in Kuwait, said KUNA.

Johnson was quoted as attributing the growth to the Chevrolet series' success in the region, citing the doubled sales of Chevrolet's Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), Tahoe and Suburban.

According to the general manager, GM's luxury line-up, Cadillac, Hummer and Saab have also seen a increase of 58 percent over last year's figure.

The Cadillac Escalade saw a 35 percent increase in regional sales by September over the number in 2005.

Concerning the counties, the Saudi market is the largest in the Middle East, making up 58 percent of the sales in the region.

Sales in Iraq increased threefold in 2006 compared to last year. About 6,339 cars had been sold in Iraq in the January-September period.

Meanwhile, 4,320 cars have been sold in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, making a 28 percent growth in spite of the recent Israel- Hezbollah conflict.

The fourth quarter of 2006 was vital for GM as the company would be introducing newer generation of Chevrolet Caprice and Lumina which had made up 25 percent of the previous nine month's sales, said Johnson.

Source: Xinhua