New Nissan advert sparks Gulf furore

Gulf countries may boycott the Nissan Motor Company after an Israeli TV commercial depicting Saudis angered by a fuel-efficient car, according to a Saudi official.

The advertising campaign, created by Renault-Nissan, led to an uproar among the Arab and Muslim population in the Gulf when it showed a group of Saudi oil barons screaming and attacking the Renault-Nissan vehicle.

The advertisement, which has been airing in Israel, depicts wealthy Arab oil barons cursing and hitting the Tiida, angered at the car being so fuel efficient, The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.

The ad shows Saudis leaving a hotel and encountering the new, fuel-efficient automobile. One of the men pounds his fists on the car just to be held back by his companions as he screams at the vehicle “You destroyed my home! May God destroy your home! Hawks should peck at you day and night”.

The commercial ends with a voice over saying: “It’s clear the oil companies won’t like you.”

Many Arabs perceive that the company made a huge mistake running the ad and should therefore come forward with an apology if it cared to keep its interests in the region.

"It's my opinion that Nissan made a huge error by igniting these [racist] instincts," official Hani al-Wafa told MBC TV, a Saudi-run station headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. "We need to apply punishments... against these things. In order for Nissan to keep its interests in the region, it must apologise."

The ad was developed by Israeli advertising and marketing agency Inbar Merhav Shaked.

Hadar Goldman, co-owner of the Zarmon Goldman advertising agency in Tel Aviv, told the paper he hoped Saudis would tolerate humorous and exaggerated commercials. "If we have a sense of humour, I expect them to have one as well,” he said.

Daniella Ribenbach, the spokeswoman for Nissan in Israel, was quoted as saying: “It’s a humorous campaign that was loved by both the Jewish and Arab worlds.”

The Nissan electric vehicle, introduced yesterday, is scheduled to go on the market in Japan and the US in 2010, and globally by 2012. It was designed to provide more power than hybrid models, and emits zero emissions.

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