| China’s automotive industry continues to | | | | Company. and Nissan Motor Company, the three |
| crave for luxury cars. | | | | big Japanese rivals, have all joined the charge, |
| Ian Robertson, Chairman of Rolls-Royce Motor | | | | launching their Lexus, Acura and Infiniti luxury |
| Cars, a part of BMW told Reuters on the eve of | | | | brands into a market sector that could be worth |
| the Shanghai Auto Show that the excitement of | | | | around $10 billion. |
| the Chinese customers is the pleasure of waiting | | | | China's economic growth for the first-quarter was |
| to get that unique car tailor-made for them. | | | | above 11 per cent and the country's main stock |
| Roberts sees the automotive industry as the | | | | index soared 130 per cent last year, making it the |
| most powerfully growing market in the world. | | | | world's top major performer.Such growth has |
| With 60 present China sales increases last year, | | | | made people more opulent. It therefore made a |
| Rolls-Royce will add two new dealerships in China | | | | broad range of cars more affordable. As an |
| in the coming year for a total of seven. This | | | | effect, fast-rising, technology savvy young |
| makes their network second only to the United | | | | professionals hunger for speed and luxury. |
| States. | | | | Boerio said Women bought 30-40 per cent of |
| Rolls-Royce recently sold a $US2.3 million car in | | | | Jaguar's S-Type, a higher percentage than other |
| China that included rear-facing seats and | | | | markets in the world. She added that such sales |
| drop-down flat-panel TV screens. | | | | say something about the confidence of Chinese |
| According to a survey compiled by Rupert | | | | women. |
| Hoogewerf, who pioneered a list for Forbes | | | | Jaguar's highest priced car retails for about 1.52 |
| Magazine, the number of billionaires in China | | | | million Yuan. That is about 100 times the annual |
| doubled to 15 percent in 2006. It showed that | | | | income for the average Chinese. |
| there are several hundred thousand millionaires, | | | | Growth in China's super-luxury sector has |
| too, triggering a stampede to China by global | | | | outpaced sales of the top-end models offered by |
| luxury carmakers. | | | | BMW and DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz. Stuart |
| China's list is headed by Cheung Yan, founder and | | | | McCullough, a board member of Bentley Motors, |
| chairwoman of paper packaging firm Nine Dragons | | | | owned by Germany's Volkswagen, said the only |
| Paper Holdings. Her assets rose to US$3.4 billion | | | | limitation is the imagination. Bentley sales in China |
| boosted by an initial public offer of shares in Hong | | | | doubled last year and are still expected to double |
| Kong. | | | | again this year to around 250 of the hand-crafted |
| Bibiana Boerio, the Managing Director of Ford | | | | status symbol for the world's elite. |
| Motor Company's Jaguar brand in China said these | | | | The firm has a pretty good projection of what |
| people don not want to drive what everybody | | | | sales will be this year as there is a waiting list of |
| else drives. They want their exclusivity. | | | | 18 months to two years, depending on the model. |
| The Jaguar group, however, is becoming less | | | | But it is not that easy to make a deal on a |
| exclusive, as Jaguar sold 1,012 cars in China last | | | | Bentley. McCullough said the only person in the |
| year, up 58 per cent and doubles the pace of | | | | world who gets a deal on a Bentley is the Queen |
| growth for the overall car market in China. | | | | of England, whose cars can cost as much as 13 |
| The Chinese are buying an average of 15,000 | | | | million Yuan. |
| luxury cars each month, and that rate is | | | | China has always been one of the countries with |
| accelerating as newer models are launched and | | | | highest car sales due to its extensive car plants, |
| more automakers target the newly affluent. | | | | suv truck accessories shops, and dealers. |
| Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor | | | | |