Hyundai Motor has launched a campaign and programs tailored for female drivers in Saudi Arabia, joining a slew of global automakers eyeing a stake in the market to hike up sales in the region, the company said Thursday.

During the company’s meeting of overseas representatives held last month, Hyundai said it would bolster sales in the Middle East in the second half of the year by targeting the Saudi Arabia market where a ban on female driving was lifted on June 24.

A task force has been set up there to put together products, services, marketing and sales strategies that cater to Saudi Arabian female drivers’ needs in consideration of the country’s culture.

“Hyundai will support female millennials in various ways in Saudi Arabia and around the world for them to accomplish their goals,” said Cho Won-hong, executive vice president of Hyundai’s customer and marketing division.

Hyundai’s #whatsnext campaign that began on the day the Saudi government lifted the ban encourages Saudi Arabian women to strive for their dreams. A teaser clip posted on Facebook has garnered over 1.5 million views.

The full campaign video revealed Wednesday in the country zooms in on Saudi women in different fields working to achieve their dreams, including a fashion designer, movie director, teacher and athlete.

Out of the 9 million women of driving age in Saudi Arabia, some 3 million are expected to receive licenses and to begin driving by 2020, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

This would lead to a boost in female employment, equating to economic benefits of roughly $90 billion by 2030, according to Bloomberg estimates.

Practical features, such as sun shades on the driver’s seat window and the world’s first alert to avoid the abaya attire getting stuck in doors, are also options offered for female drivers, the company said.

For female drivers to experience Hyundai vehicles, a digital showroom named City Store has been set up in a shopping mall in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, run by saleswomen. The digital showroom will also be set up in the capital of Saudi’s Eastern Province Dammam and Saudi’s port city Jeddah, the company said.
 

Three Saudi women -- entrepreneur Bayan Linjawi, radio host and travel blogger Shadia Abdulaziz, and fashion designer Reem Faisal -- were selected as Hyundai’s honorary ambassadors and were invited to Korea in mid-June for a tour around Hyundai Motor Studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. They also attended Hyundai’s driving class for beginner female drivers.

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)