CAIRO: The automotive industry has had a busy week. For the past five days, fierce competition simmered as manufacturers and dealers showed off the latest car models at the 14th edition of Automech Akhbar El-Youm. The lavish industry event, which ends Monday, draws thousands of visitors every year clamoring for a sneak peak of the latest auto offerings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Ali Fouad, BMW marketing senior specialist at Bavarian Auto Group, said, “This year's event is full of competition as nearly all brands that consumers mainly would like to see in Egypt, including those that sell luxury vehicles, are present.” “We are launching the new 316 with automatic transmission and unveiling the new BMW 5 series with its elegant new look,” Fouad added. “The 523 and 528 models were just introduced and the 535 will be introduced later on in the year.” On the new technologies introduced by the luxury car maker, Fouad said, “The efficient dynamics lets the vehicle think on its own. The Auto Start Stop function automatically switches off the engine when the car is at a standstill and the clutch is not operated; it starts again as soon as the clutch is operated, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.” Egyptian vehicle maker GB Auto, which recently signed an exclusive agreement to import and sell Mazda-branded vehicles in the country, had a strong presence. Ibrahim Naguib, sales and marketing director of GB Auto, announced at a press conference the recent launch of the company's first Mazda cars in the Egyptian market. “As a start, four new Mazda outlets will open shortly along with a network of authorized high profile car dealerships all with exceptional standards. GB auto will also start two new service centers for Mazda,” said Naguib. Naguib said that two models will be sold through GB Auto: Mazda 2 and 3. “We feel that these cars will be very competitive as they are high quality Japanese cars at competitive prices, with beautiful exteriors and excellent features,” he said. With a range of Hyundai cars on display, Naguib pointed to three making their debut: the Sonata, I20 and Genesis Coupe. “The Sonata has gained massive public interest during the car show and we are introducing it with four different categories,” said Naguib. Abdelkader Talaat, sales and marketing manager of Egyptian American Automotive, the sole agent of the Ford in Egypt, said, “This year Ford is focusing on the new Feista, with its sporty design targeting the youth segment.” “The Focus is our middle range vehicle and we have three categories for it, four-door, five-door and station wagon, to satisfy a diverse range of needs and the price starts from LE 145,000 to LE 175,000,” he said. Sherif El-Alem, marketing manager of Egyptian International Motors, which distributes Renault in Egypt, said they are unveiling the four-wheel drive Renault Duster as part of the “Entry Level Program.” “The Entry Level Program makes products that are competitively priced while meeting all safety and quality requirements, [and] has had massive success in France and Germany, expanding to the world with the Logan sedan and hatchback models.” On the exhibition, El-Alem added, “The Automech car show is an event not to be missed for any car dealer because it gives them a chance to showcase their products to hundreds of thousands of people.”
