Page 8 - Rolls Royce, Bentley Mihi Exculta Magazine (Made for Me) - Issue 9, designed and produced by Connell Marketing Associates, UK

MARQUES
The Box
Of
Delights
Bentley and
Rolls-Royce Marques In
The Heart Of Europe
THE DATE IS APRIL 16TH, 1999. The
occasion is the opening of
Automobil Forum Unter den Linden
– the premier brand showcase of
Europe’s most successful car
manufacturer. The location is Berlin,
probably the single most vibrant city
in Europe at the moment.
Following the fall of the Berlin
Wall, the reunification of Germany
and the subsequent decision to move
the seat of government from Bonn
back to the country’s original
capital, Berlin has resounded to the
clamour of a thousand building sites
as the very heart of the city is brands to the world. The jewel in this
renovated, rejuvenated and restored.
8 MIHI EXCULTA - August 1999
With the opening of the stunning new
Reichstag building, designed by British
architect, Sir Norman Foster, Berlin was
reclaimed for all of Europe. Unter den Linden,
Kurfürstendamm and Friedrichstraße, once
amongst the most fashionable streets of
Europe, throng again with important,
influential people; the movers and shakers of
government, industry and commerce. The
result is that Berlin is now one of the places
for the smart, the rich and the famous of the
world to be seen.
The car industry in Germany accounts for
no less than 20% of the gross national product
and employs over 500,000 people and, as one
of the most important representatives of that
industry, the Volkswagen Group believed it
was essential that it had a significant presence
right at the heart of this new power centre.
Gerhard Schröder, now Chancellor of Germany
but previously President of Lower Saxony and
therefore, ex officio, a non-executive director
of the Volkswagen Group, was present to
celebrate the opening.
Occupying the traditional site of the
Lindencorso, the impressive new interior
occupies three floors to show off the full
complement of Volkswagen Group’s
box of delights, in the prime location
on the corner of Unter den Linden
and Friedrichstraße, is the Bentley
and Rolls-Royce exhibition.
When Volkswagen Group
acquired Bentley in 1998,
the company made it