Seeking Sales Bump, GM Targets Middle East

General Motors hopes to rebound from a 19% first-quarter drop in Middle East sales by introducing new models and helping buyers with down payments, Reuters reports. "There are a lot of people who walk into showrooms who aren't able to buy because they can't get financing," says the company's regional president. GM expects a profit in the region, but "much less so than last year."

GM's Middle East market share is about 13%, but the company's focusing on growing that—and not worrying about what's going on at home. The regional boss says the Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu, and Camaro will be introduced in the next several months, and he has high hopes for another familiar brand, too. "There are a number of very, very interested parties in the Hummer," he says.

(More General Motors stories.)