Hong Kong Witnesses First Aston Martin One-77 Crash

2013 Volkswagen CC Gets Sporty R-Line Trim

Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Weather Forecast
Sarrazin Gains Final Seat For Toyota Racing At Le Mans

Indy 500 Carb Day Practice To Franchitti; Dixon Takes IZOD Pit...

Volkswagen Golf R Cabrio Patent Photos Revealed
2013 Cadillac XTS Configurator Launched

BMW Zagato Coupe Unveiled At Villa d'Este

New Firestone Indy Lights Formula For 2014

China Poised To Overtake U.S. As Biggest Market For Rolls-Royce

Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Editor BIO

Vik is an Editor at High Gear Media and contributor for a number of sites within the High Gear Media network. He was a co-founder of... More

LATEST ARTICLE
Hong Kong Witnesses First Aston Martin One-77 Crash
The number of working Aston Martin One-77 supercars in existence has now dropped from an original... Read More

#1LEADERBOARD RANK
7401ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
82COMMENTS POSTED

945 views Dec 1, 2010

Follow Viknesh

Add to circle

Driven: Rolls-Royce Ghost, images by John Todd

Enlarge Photo

Perhaps as a sign of the times, China is expected to overtake the U.S. as the biggest market for Rolls-Royce as early as next year. That’s an impressive feat considering that in China Rolls-Royce models cost more than double what they do here in the U.S.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom, for example, has a starting price in China of approximately $990,000, while in the U.S. that figure comes in at $380,000. A similar price differential applies for the new Rolls-Royce Ghost as well.

In must be noted, however, that cars in China are subjected to an import duty of 25 percent, a value-added tax of 17 percent and a consumption tax of 40 percent when their engines are bigger than 4.0-liters.

Nevertheless, the typical waiting time on a new Rolls-Royce in China is six months.

Rolls-Royce is planning to sell around 800 cars in China next year, which is part of a bigger strategy to boost sales in the populace market eightfold within the next two years. This level would ensure China surpasses the U.S. in terms of Rolls-Royce sales.

In the first 10 months of this year Rolls-Royce managed to sell around 500 cars in China, compared with just 100 for the whole of last year.

Not surprisingly, a similar story can be told for close rival Bentley.

[Automotive News, sub req’d]