Rolls Royce shares Mahindra and Brilliance in a BAG advertisement

A while ago our colleague Al Stig, who rumors say is the cousin of The Stig in BBC's Top Gear show, was asking in the midst of the automotive crisis in Egypt if the Egyptian car market was a corrupt or a collapsing market. Last week the Bavarian Auto Group (BAG) in Cairo, who according to their advertisements in Al-Ahram Newspaper (18.12.2009) and Al-Akhbar Newspaper (19.12.2009) of last week are still the sole importer Rolls Royce, Brilliance, Mahindra, BMW and Mini, kind of assured us that the Egyptian market seems indeed to be a very corrupted and non-transparent market, which a lot of importers and dealers consider a unlegislated area where they can do whatever they want.

Because according to our information the Bavarian Auto Group in Egypt, which is headed by a gentle-man called Farid El Tobgui, is no longer authorized dealer of Rolls Royce in Egypt. But still the Bavarian Auto Group keeps on mentioning the British tradition and luxury brand 'Rolls Royce' in most of its events, advertisements and advertorials next to the Chinese and Indian low-cost brands Mahindra and Brilliance.

It seems to us that unfortunately the decision-makers at Bavarian Auto Group are not aware of the image-and reputation-damage such an association could have to such quality brands as Rolls Royce, BMW and MINI when referred to in the same advertisement or speech.

This apparently proves a lack of understanding at Bavarian Auto Group of what Corporate Identity and Brand Marketing really means.

But what else would you expect from a company which is selling the BMW 7 series, 5 series and 3 series in a Mahindra & Brilliance Showroom without paying attention to any Corporate identity rules and regulations, and at the same time still advertises the old BMW 5 series without mentioning the new BMW 5 series in any local press release or even on their website since its world premier last month in Munich.

And this very same company in April 2009 was still selling Juan-Pablo Montoya BMW F1 merchandising products, although Montoya had left BMW in 2004, at the BMW stand on the Cairo Yacht Show.

I personally would never buy a BMW or MINI or even a Rolls Royce from a Mahindra or Brilliance show-room, and lets just hope that the new Rolls Royce Ghost would get an appropriate launch in Egypt and the Middle East, without being parked next to a Brilliance or Mahindra.

Last but not least, this proves also how unwise it is of the mother-companies to sign dealership- and importer-agreements with companies in Egypt and the Middle East which already represent other car brands, even if they are not direct competitors like it is the case with Rolls Royce and Brilliance.

So, what surprise will Bavarian Auto Group prepare for us on the upcoming Cairo Motor Show in January 2010? Let us wait and see.

MS