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Optimism as Saudi Arabia lifts ban on women drivers

By Editor
29 September 2017   |   4:13 am
The ultraconservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued an order allowing women to drive, ending a long-standing policy that’s cast an unflattering light on the country’s treatment of women.

The ultraconservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued an order allowing women to drive, ending a long-standing policy that’s cast an unflattering light on the country’s treatment of women.

The development is considered a royal opportunity for global automakers eager to make further inroads into the Middle East’s biggest economy.

Saudi Arabia’s move to open up its auto market to about half of its 32 million total population will have a profound impact on vehicle demand, driving habits and even immigration patterns in a country where low-wage immigrants from Bangladesh and the Philippines often work as hired drivers.

Market leaders such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co., whose hulking SUVs are a fixture on Saudi roadways, may need to boost inventory of smaller models such as compacts and sedans for single working women and female students, analysts say. On the flip side, app-driven ride-hailing services such as Uber Technologies Inc. could experience a drop in demand, as more women buy their own cars and get behind the wheel.

The change by King Salman bin Abdulaziz to issue driver’s licenses to women starting June is the latest twist in a far larger effort to modernize and economically diversify the kingdom and lessen the economy’s dependence on oil.

Activists have repeatedly defied the ban, launching campaigns in which women have been filmed getting behind the wheel illegally. Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to be lifting such restrictions.

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