Egyptian Automobile Sales Edge up 4 pct in May

Egyptian automobile sales are continuing their mild recovery, with purchase figures for May up 4.4 per cent compared to the same month in 2011. A total of 15,465 automobiles were sold last month, two-thirds of them passenger cars, data from the country's Automotive Marketing Information Council (AMIC) shows.

But it was an upsurge of sales for buses and trucks, however, that fuelled the overall annual rise. A total of 10,758 passenger cars were sold in May 2012, down 3.8 per cent on the year before. Bus sales hit 1,358 units -- an annual rise of 30.7 per cent -- while truck sales were 3,340, up 29.6 per cent.

Egypt-based GB Auto, which assembles Hyundai vehicles, sold 3,758 passenger cars in May, 35 per cent of those sold. The firm is responsible for 34 per cent of all such vehicles sold to date in 2012 in the country, figures show.