They Are Starving Back In China - For Luxury Cars
Premium cars are a hard sell? Not in China. The Chinese developed a ravenous appetite for Germany’s luxury brands. In January, all three German premium makes, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, more than doubled their sales, reports Das Autohaus.
Leader of the luxo-pack is Audi with 16.798 units sold in January in China, up 115 percent compared to January 2009.
Mercedes increased its Chinese sales in January by 146.6 percent: 8.400 units sold.
BMW sold 11,919 BMWs and Minis in the Middle Kingdom, 122 percent more than in the year before. For the first time in recorded history, BMW sold more than 10,000 cars a month in China.
January promises to be another record month in China. Most brands report record sales. With 219,192 verhicles sold, the combined GM joint ventures are up 97 percent from a year earlier, Gasgoo reports. Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen, Chang’an Ford, and Chery, all report record sales.
Official data on total vehicle sales for January are due next week, but the China Passenger Car Association figures that China’s passenger car sales rose 84 per cent in January.
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Yes, Lexus is in China. I am not in a position to comment on differences of perception.
The Chinese are buying a lot of imported Range Rover's now. Bearing in mind the huge amount of tax on them, their figures are even more impressive than the likes of BMW who make cars in China.
You have to be jealous at the germans. If you have a new Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche, you´re telling the neighbors that you´ve made it. Those cars are not always better then other marques, but somehow they´re more desirable. The germans are aware of this, and they make you pay.
It's not surprising, and its not just with automotive brands. China is expected to become the largest market for luxury goods like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc. Chinese tourists were what Japanese tourist were in the 80s, they tend to spend freely on their many vacations.