By CLINT CHAN TACK Thursday, November 13 2008

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Gordon Borde...

BAVARIAN Motors Ltd, local agents for German luxury automotive manufacturer BMW, yesterday said it has not held any talks with Government on supplying 200 VIP vehicles for next year’s Fifth Summit of the Americas and Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, both of which are to be held in this country.

The company made this statement as it denied any connection between a recent visit by its managing director Gordon Borde to Munich, Germany and Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s statement about Government leasing vehicles for next year’s summits, directly from BMW. Bavarian Motors said like other local car dealers, it responded to tenders recently issued by the National Insurance Property Development Company (Nipdec) to provide vehicles for the summits and “is awaiting a response to its proposals.”

In a statement, Bavarian Motors said the supply of vehicles for the summits “has not been a matter of direct discussion” between itself and Government or with Prime Minister Manning.

The company said BMW in Germany invited Borde to attend the annual Importers Conference in Munich which took place from October 28 to November 1.

Manning was in Munich from October 30 to 31, to address the “Day of the Americas” conference hosted by the Business Association of Latin America. Bavarian Motors said while Borde was in Munich, he “had absolutely no knowledge of a visit being paid to Munich and BMW by the Prime Minister.”

“Neither did Mr Borde have any contact with the Prime Minister during his visit to Munich.

There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any suggestion that Mr Borde accompanied the Honourable Prime Minister on his visit to Munich,” Bavarian Motors declared. The company said BMW’s invitation to Borde to attend the conference was made “as far back as August 28”.

Borde left for Munich on October 26 and returned home on November 3. Manning left Munich for Dubai on November 1 and returned home on November 5. At a post-Cabinet news conference at the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on November 6, Manning said, “What we might well do is go directly to the car manufacturers.

I visited the BMW showroom in Munich, we had discussions on the matter and I have to discuss it with our people here.”

He explained that the problem with the proposals from the local dealers to lease the vehicles is that they “have priced the vehicles at such a level driving you in the direction to buy the cars.”

“We don’t need 200 cars,” Manning added.