Saudi Arabia’s Layan Damanhouri joins Women's World Car of the Year jury

The Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) announced that it has added Layan Damanhouri to its jury roster. This is big news since Damanhouri is from Saudi Arabia, which until 2018 prohibited its female population from driving.

Layan Damanhouri

Currently, the new WWCOTY juror is a writer for the motoring section of the Saudi-based Al-Bilad newspaper, one of the largest publications in the said country. She does test drivers for various car brands and writes about car insurance as well as news related to the country’s female car market segment. She even covered the historic lifting of the driving ban for women four years ago. 

So apart from being a Saudi woman, the new WWCOTY jury member may provide a unique perspective on Middle Eastern motoring as a whole. Her home country, after all, is also a developing market, which only managed to grow to become the 13th largest car importer in 2021. 

The WWCOTY also says that the Middle Eastern nation saw a 35 percent growth in its automotive market in 2020. This places it as the largest market in the Middle East/North African (MENA) region. 

There’s also the fact that the growth in the country’s car market is partially driven by having more women behind the wheel. The International Trade Organization said that female Saudi drivers are expected to increase car sales in the country by nine percent every year until 2029.

More and more women are getting behind the wheel in Saudi Arabia

The WWCOTY, on the other hand, added that large cities in the country are not pedestrian-friendly, and a variety of people including women, still need to get around.

As a side note, do remember that the Philippines also has its own WWCOTY representative. Her name is Genevieve Tiu, and currently, she’s a journalist and video producer for CarGuide.PH and a contributing writer for The Philippine Star Wheels. 

The WWCOTY also announced its Car of the Year awardee months ago. To recap, the Kia Niro bagged this accolade after beating out 59 other vehicles. Specifically, this Kia was chosen for the award as it “delivers a complete” package. 

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