As undergraduates at the American University in Cairo, lifelong friends Omar Khalifa and Omar Mansour dreamt of opening up their own magazine. Though their studies and families diverted their attention for a while, they finally pursued their dreams and, just a few years after graduating, they managed to bring the world’s oldest car magazine to Egypt.
Autocar is a weekly British automobile magazine that started publishing in 1895 by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. Autocar Egypt, however, will be a monthly magazine.
Earlier this year, when the two began planning to open a magazine, they had two options: establishing their own or buying the license of an existing magazine.
“We went online and looked at a variety of publishers abroad and we found Haymarket, which is one of the biggest publishers in the world under which there was a huge selection of magazines, probably more than 150. We found Autocar, Khalifa, the managing director of Autocar Egypt, said.
“Growing up we used to read Autocar, so we decided to bring it to Egypt and contacted them right away, he said.
They rolled up their sleeves and quickly got to work, researching, conducting a feasibility study, creating a business plan and getting an overview of the Egyptian market.
Many are wary of starting a business during the financial crisis, and with the magazine industry barely surviving, it seemed like a bold move. But Khalifa and Mansour had a vision and insisted on seeing it through.
“Most people thought it was a very risky idea and some said that it wasn’t that different, but maybe they didn’t understand what we had in mind, Khalifa recalled.
“After the launch we got positive feedback and people are impressed with the quality, the content. They think it is credible, the reviews are very accurate and they can’t believe that the magazine is really published in Egypt, he said.
Autocar may not be the first auto magazine in Egypt, but it is the first to offer intensive coverage of the international auto market as opposed to focusing only on the local market.
The magazine features news about car manufacturers and new models, road tests of cars, comparing models and company profiles. A special section titled “Car Prices A to Z provides the best on-the-road car prices in the Egyptian market.
“Some people look at the magazine and think of it as too foreign; the thing is there are so many local [car happenings] in Egypt but what we are trying to do is to bring the international market news to Egypt, Mansour, the chief executive officer of Autocar Egypt, said.
“Autocar has more than 2,000 employees and their job is to be out there everywhere in countries to gather news from all over the world. We are their partners, so we have access to this information and we get this news on hand right away and bring it to the Egyptian market, he added.
Autocar Egypt now has a full team of writers, editors and graphic designers onboard covering the local market.
“Our goal is to be recognized as the number one automotive magazine in Egypt, said Mansour.
While it is currently distributed for free at outlets such as Virgin Mega Stores and various coffee shops and cafes, in six months, Autocar will be selling for LE 15 at all newsagents and select bookstores.
