A Saudi man came up with an unusual present to his wife to mark the Muslim Eid Al Fitr festival: a set of tyres.
An online video displays the present that was coupled with a bunch of flowers.
In the video, the man says he had discussed with his children about presenting a “practical” gift to their mother on the occasion of Eid that began on Wednesday.
On past occasions, they presented her accessories, gold or perfumes. “But this time, we bought her car tyres. We were worried about her reaction,” the man says. But to their surprise, she rejoiced on receiving the gift. “Besides being a distinct present, she needed this because her car tyres were worn-out,” he comments.
In 2018, Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on women driving as part of massive changes in the country. The historic move has since boosted the car market’s growth in the kingdom.
Car sales in Saudi Arabia last year reached around 730,000, of which 30% were bought by women, experts have said. The sales are expected to surge to 870,000 this year in the kingdom.
Auto sales have surpassed projections made before the decision to allow female driving, they added.
The expectations were that those sales would reach 577,000 by the year 2025. However, the actual figures in 2022 already overshadowed these projections, with the sales that year hitting 675,000 cars.
In general, demand for cars in the kingdom has increased, reversing a two-year slump and disruptions in supply chains due to the global pandemic restrictions.