Stellantis Middle East has announced its official re-entry into the Syrian market, appointing Ghassan Aboud Motors — a subsidiary of Ghassan Aboud Group — as the authorised distributor for Jeep and Ram vehicles effective 1 January 2026, with the Peugeot brand set to follow in the second quarter of the same year.  Stellantis is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 through the merger of the French Peugeot Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, itself a merger of Italy’s Fiat and the U.S.’  Chrysler. The company produces vehicles under 14 brands: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram Trucks, and Vauxhall.  According to a statement shared by the group, Stellantis will be the “first (company) to reintroduce American and European brands to the Syrian market,” whilst Ghassan Aboud Motors will operate a“unified distribution network for the Jeep, Ram, and Peugeot brands in the market in line with the importance of the Syrian market within the high-potential markets growth strategy.”  Slavin Klarin Smiljanić, Chief Executive of Stellantis Middle East, said they are“proud to bring our brands to the Syrian market as part of our global expansion into emerging markets,”, adding that the focus will be on building a robust ecosystem encompassing sales, after-sales services, and spare parts.  The showroom opening and after-sales services are scheduled for the second quarter of 2026, accompanied by a phased national expansion plan that includes establishing showrooms and service centres in Homs, Hama, Lattakia, Aleppo, and Idlib, subject to market readiness and operational requirements.  Car imports were largely banned during the Syrian conflict in a bid by the government to reduce foreign currency expenditures. In 2011, the then governor of the Central Bank of Syria had said that car imports alone stood at some USD 4.5 billion out of a total import bill of around USD 18 billion.  However, after the fall of the regime at the end of 2024, the Syrian authorities liberalised car imports, leading to a large influx of vehicles, often used cars, into the local market.  Prior to 2011, Peugeot’s agent in Syria was the Nahas Group, while Fiat’s agent was Al-Khouli Motor Establishment.  Ghassan Aboud is a Syrian businessman based in Dubai whose wealth was estimated at USD 1.75 billion in 2019 by Forbes. In 1994, he established the Ghassan Aboud Group, a business conglomerate active in the automotive, hospitality, real estate, retail, food, media and logistics sectors.  (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: The Syria Report