Rolls-Royce Bullish on China
SHANGHAI, China — The Rolls-Royce luxury brand has a good feeling about China. The company’s Asia Pacific director says he expects that sales in China and India will account for three-quarters of its total business in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The action of the Chinese government to put money into infrastructure during the recession helped things considerably,” said Colin Kelly in Shanghai this week. “People who buy our cars tend to be more entrepreneurial, and when they start to feel good, they start to buy cars.”
Rolls-Royce, now owned by BMW, sold 106 cars in China last year, accounting for 50 percent of the sales in the Asia-Pacific region. China, which overtook Japan to be Rolls-Royce’s biggest market in Asia-Pacific for the first time, contributes about 10 percent to Rolls-Royce’s global sales with seven dealerships nationwide.
Compared with a 30 percent sales fall in the first half of this year, Kelly said sales have been robust in the fourth quarter in Asia-Pacific. Pre-orders for Rolls’ new model, the Ghost, are also solid, particularly in China, Kelly added, although he didn’t give any figures.
Inside Line says: The very British appeal of the brand is spreading steadily. — Vivian Jin, Correspondent