Bugatti opens a dealership in a dictatorship and praises it
This page is translated from the original post "Bugatti ouvre une concession dans une dictature et s’en félicite" in French.
- 29/01/2025 9:41
The world’s most prestigious car brand has opened the largest dealership in its history in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Money has no smell, we’ve known that since the dawn of time. But to need a glorious press release to celebrate the opening of a dealership in an authoritarian and repressive state like Azerbaijan is quite another matter. And even more so when this brand, Bugatti, with its historically French emblem (and owned by the Volkswagen group), ignores the serious geopolitical tensions between these two nations. Azerbaijan stirs and finances media campaigns to invite French overseas departments to fight for their independence. An interference that crystallizes relations, as France plans to cease all gas imports from Azerbaijan in response.
On the French Foreign Ministry website, the government warns its nationals of “Risks of arrest, arbitrary detention, and unfair trial in Azerbaijan.” Atmosphere. And the Amnesty International report also makes one’s skin crawl.
Obviously, it is entirely conceivable that Bugatti opens a dealership in a country whose financial wealth is derived from the exploitation of gas and hydrocarbons. Situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, its capital is Baku, on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Long Live the Dictatorship and International Interference of Azerbaijan?
While Azerbaijan is renowned for its modern infrastructure and economic development, it is also notoriously known for its authoritarianism. Since 2003, Ilham Aliyev, son of former president Heydar Aliyev, has ruled the country with an iron fist. His regime is often described as electoral dictatorship by international organizations. Nevertheless, F1 has been hosting a Grand Prix there since 2017 thanks to oil dollars capable of paying the high price of the race. And what about the organization of COP29 in autumn 2024 by an ultra-polluting state?
That said, if there is any country in the region where a Bugatti Tourbillon (notably) can be proudly displayed, it is certainly in Azerbaijan, where security is omnipresent. Dictatorships have their perks when a lot of money is circulating…
We would have appreciated a bit more restraint from Bugatti, especially since a press release issued in France or Europe is not intended to boost car sales. Such is the world of communication.
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