You simply don't seem to get it. A car in the gulf is only as reliable as its' a/c unit. It's a fact Europeans for the most part, drive neutered, tiny, "transportation". I haven't seen a single Ford Fiesta on Qatari roads yet, thankfully. A 1.1 liter engine would be a lethal crutch in this environment, getting away in a roundabout would be severely compromised. A Qatari most reliable cars survey would look something like this...
etc. This is the "realm of Toyota", and if you ask any Qatari national why? They'll put it to you plain and simple. Not because of the styling (even they know these cars are fugly chuds), not for the handling or speed. They're utilitarian workhorses that rarely fail, and if they do, they are so common that even the most challenged mechanics can fix them because they know them inside out by now. There is also build quality and aftersales customer care. Toyota's dominance of this entire region was earned over the years by consistently delivering cars of proven quality and resilience to a market with some specific concerns. Ask any person from these parts what emotions does a long-since discontinued Toyota Cressida arouse. Or a Nissan Cedric. Iconic cars over here. They are to the gulf what the Mini was to the UK, the Fiat 500 to Italy, and the Golf to the rest of Europe. I know Saudis and Kuwaitis still highly value American junk, but I guess that's more of a nostalgic thing, or perhaps style matters to them more than substance. A couple of friends of mine in Dubai put together a "spot the ethnicity by the wheels" survey. These were the initial conclusions...
Shamians (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan) - 90's BMW 3 series.
Egyptians - 80's Mercedes Benz.
Local Arabs - Patrol or Land Cruiser.
Baloosh (I believe it's slang for locals of Persian descent) - Lexus.
This was later rephrased to be
Shamians - "za3ra" (3 being a replacement for the Arabic "ayn")
Egyptians - "Shabah" and other ancient Benzes
Locals - "Fitek" and "Steeshn"
Baloosh - Lexus.
Cars carry an emotional importance. One man's gold is another's doodoo. And Arabs love their cars so much it's not uncommon for them to give alternate names to all the popular models, these names can vary from region to region and even country to country.
Where I'm from, the Golf Mk.II, in good condition, of course necessarily diesel powered, can cost you 5,000 euros easily. In Germany, you can find people who will pay you to drive that trash off their property. There's an inherent perception of value that has nothing to do with the logical, or market dictated. These things are after all, often the subject of passion.
You simply don't seem to get it. A car in the gulf is only as reliable as its' a/c unit. It's a fact Europeans for the most part, drive neutered, tiny, "transportation". I haven't seen a single Ford Fiesta on Qatari roads yet, thankfully. A 1.1 liter engine would be a lethal crutch in this environment, getting away in a roundabout would be severely compromised. A Qatari most reliable cars survey would look something like this...
1. Land Cruiser/Lexus 570
2. Patrol
3. Camry
4. Prado
5. Corolla
etc. This is the "realm of Toyota", and if you ask any Qatari national why? They'll put it to you plain and simple. Not because of the styling (even they know these cars are fugly chuds), not for the handling or speed. They're utilitarian workhorses that rarely fail, and if they do, they are so common that even the most challenged mechanics can fix them because they know them inside out by now. There is also build quality and aftersales customer care. Toyota's dominance of this entire region was earned over the years by consistently delivering cars of proven quality and resilience to a market with some specific concerns. Ask any person from these parts what emotions does a long-since discontinued Toyota Cressida arouse. Or a Nissan Cedric. Iconic cars over here. They are to the gulf what the Mini was to the UK, the Fiat 500 to Italy, and the Golf to the rest of Europe. I know Saudis and Kuwaitis still highly value American junk, but I guess that's more of a nostalgic thing, or perhaps style matters to them more than substance. A couple of friends of mine in Dubai put together a "spot the ethnicity by the wheels" survey. These were the initial conclusions...
Shamians (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan) - 90's BMW 3 series.
Egyptians - 80's Mercedes Benz.
Local Arabs - Patrol or Land Cruiser.
Baloosh (I believe it's slang for locals of Persian descent) - Lexus.
This was later rephrased to be
Shamians - "za3ra" (3 being a replacement for the Arabic "ayn")
Egyptians - "Shabah" and other ancient Benzes
Locals - "Fitek" and "Steeshn"
Baloosh - Lexus.
Cars carry an emotional importance. One man's gold is another's doodoo. And Arabs love their cars so much it's not uncommon for them to give alternate names to all the popular models, these names can vary from region to region and even country to country.
Where I'm from, the Golf Mk.II, in good condition, of course necessarily diesel powered, can cost you 5,000 euros easily. In Germany, you can find people who will pay you to drive that trash off their property. There's an inherent perception of value that has nothing to do with the logical, or market dictated. These things are after all, often the subject of passion.