It’s not every day that a company’s potential customer base increases by 9 million in a single day. However, that’s exactly what has happened following Saudi Arabia’s announcement that women will be permitted to drive from June 2018.
Immediately following this announcement, numerous car manufacturers raced to social media to throw their support behind the decision while also attempting to persuade some of the nation’s 9 million females old enough to get behind the wheel from next year.
Ford was one of the first to make its presence known, posting an image reading ‘Welcome to the driver’s seat’ that depicted a woman’s eyes in a car’s rear-view mirror. It followed this up by announcing it will give Sahar Nassif, an outspoken female rights activist in Saudi Arabia, a Ford Mustang.
Bloomberg reports that a host of other companies jumped on board. For example, Land Rover posted a GIF showing a car key joining many of the items women often store in their handbags. Volkswagen soon published an image depicting two female hands grasping an invisible steering wheel with a description reading ‘It’s your turn, take over the driver’s seat.’
Other carmakers attempting to court the interest of females from Saudi Arabia included Toyota, Nissan, and Lexus.
It is widely believed that the motivating factor behind King Salman bin Absulaziz’s decision to lift the driving ban was to diversify the country’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil.
Welcome to the driver’s seat. #SaudiWomenMove #SaudiWomenCanDrive pic.twitter.com/oksRbFvLWa
— Ford Middle East (@FordMiddleEast) September 27, 2017
Adventure awaits you. #SaudiWomenCanDrive pic.twitter.com/H1CZKenJEB
— Land Rover MENA (@LandRoverMENA) September 27, 2017
It’s your turn, take over the driver’s seat.#SaudiWomenDriving #SaudiWomenCanDrive pic.twitter.com/Hlw3Gnc7fW
— Volkswagen ME (@VWMiddleEast) September 27, 2017
هل أنتِ مستعدة للانطلاق على الطريق؟#SaudiWomenCanDrive#MINIKSA pic.twitter.com/Ezq2vPE7B2
— MINI Saudi Arabia (@SaudiArabiaMINI) September 28, 2017
#شكراً_للقيادة للسماح بـ #قيادة_المرأة_السعودية_للسيارة ? pic.twitter.com/YLLN1rvmcu
— Toyota Saudi Arabia (@ToyotaALJ) September 28, 2017
لمسة ..لرحلة فخامة
شاركينا اختياركhttps://t.co/FqpExni0Hd#قيادة_المراة_السعودية #الملك_ينتصر_لقياده_المراه#السماح_للمرأه_بقيادة_السيارة pic.twitter.com/seNkq8MB9n
— لكزس السعودية (@LexusKSA) September 29, 2017
نُبارك للمرأة السعودية السماح لها بالقيادة ?
#لسماح_للمراه_بالقياده pic.twitter.com/vMeObp96qB
— Nissan Saudi Arabia (@nissansaudi) September 26, 2017