THE CHEAP SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH

We go into Africa to discover what makes underdog Dacia's low-budget cars so special and what makes it such a uniquely successful business

- Tim Pollard

SOMETHING DOES NOT FEEL RIGHT. MARRAKESH -a city famous for its hustle and bustle, tagines, and traders-is hushed and empty. The hubbub of humanity pulsing through its souks and streets is gone, leaving us to wonder if we have stumbled into some kind of unannounced lockdown. We are in a usually vibrant Moroccan tourist hotspot and it is like someone forgot to plug it in.

Our Dacia Duster circles the central Jemaa el-Fnaa square, famous for its snake charmers and markets, when, suddenly, the buildings decant throngs of men, women, and children, running, shouting, blowing heartily into vuvuzelas. The car is mobbed by chanting crowds and we are stranded with nowhere to turn. I have been taught how to escape from overturned vehicles and what to do if an EV catches fire, but I have never been instructed in how to escape a crowd of football fans giddy on the elation of topping their World Cup group.

It is winter 2022 and Morocco have just beaten Canada 2-1, sparking national pandemonium. African nations rarely get this far and excitement levels are off the scale. We can only imagine the fever pitch reached in subsequent rounds as the Atlas Lions knock out Spain and then Portugal to reach the semi-finals, winning an army of fans around the globe. We all love an underdog.