MM Group (MTI) and Abu Dhabi Motors (ADM) are placing a strategic bet on Egypt’s ultra-luxury market, securing exclusive dealerships for Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, industry insiders told EnterpriseAM. The move firms up Egypt’s ultra-luxury automotive segment, with both dealerships expected to start operations early in the new year.

The details: MM Group, which already holds the local franchises for Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, and Maserati, is currently preparing showrooms for Lamborghini, we’re told. We reported in July that ADM Egypt, a subsidiary of the leading Emirati dealer Abu Dhabi Motors, has secured the Rolls-Royce agency and plans to launch operations within the coming year.

Why now? The gray market squeeze. The arrival of official dealerships follows a year of tightening restrictions on personal vehicle imports, specifically the Investment Ministry’s one car every five years decree and the strict customs document requirements for letters of credit. While wealthy buyers could previously rely on independent importers and brokers to bring in specific high-end models, official agents have moved in as the only viable channel.

The real money is in the service bay. The chairman of Rolls-Royce said that there are already 350 Rolls-Royces in Egypt held by some 200 owners, automotive consultant Baher El Khouly told EnterpriseAM. These assets — often worth tens of mns of EGP — require manufacturer-authorized servicing to keep their resale value, which means high-margin maintenance revenue from this existing fleet from day one, industry insider Ashraf Kara (LinkedIn) told us.

The ultra-luxury segment has also decoupled from broader economic pressure. Even as the price of a Lamborghini surged in EGP terms to EGP 10-12 mn after the last float of the EGP, demand for both new and used markets remained “ferocious,” El Khouly said. While many sectors struggled, the FX crunch of the past few years had for some time turned luxury vehicles into attractive assets that stored or even appreciated in value.

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