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19-01-2012, 08:06 AM
And the party continues with more of the super-rich showing off their glittering vehicles..... 
The Straits Times
Jan 19, 2012
Super-luxury car brands rev up record sales
10 marques sold over 1,500 units last year, trumping 2010's high
By Christopher Tan
It has been another superlative year for the super-luxury car market, with marques like Porsche, Ferrari, Bentley and Rolls-Royce chalking up record sales despite the overall market shrinking to an all-time low.
According to the latest figures released by the Land Transport Authority, the 10 top-end brands here garnered sales of 1,569 units last year - 29 per cent more than the figure in the previous record year of 2010.
Porsche emerged at the top, with 584 cars sold. The Cayenne sport utility vehicle and Panamera sedan made up the bulk of its sales.
Runner-up Jaguar sold 389 units, a rise from 339 in 2010.
Land Rover sales more than doubled to 233 to take third place, fuelled partly by the new Range Rover Evoque.
Ferrari had a sterling year with new models like the California convertible, 458 coupe and FF four-seater. Archrival Lamborghini's sales dipped by a mere 7.5 per cent despite having no new models.
Market watchers and industry players attributed the continued surge in the high-end segment to a growing super-rich class, more models offered by the brands and the fact that most consumers in this league are less sensitive to factors such as the economy and stock market.
Mr Zafar Momin, a Nanyang Business School lecturer and a former automotive expert with the Boston Consulting Group, pointed out that ultra-luxury cars are enjoying a boom worldwide.
Rolls-Royce, for example, posted its best year in its 107-year history, with 3,538 cars delivered to customers worldwide last year, a rise of 31 per cent from 2010's sales and 6 per cent better than the previous record of 3,347 cars sold in 1978.
Mr Momin said: 'The target consumer segment for such cars has been growing. Statistics indicate that the world's wealthy are growing in numbers and in their accumulated wealth.
'For the upper end of this segment, uncertainty about the world economy has not prevented them from splurging on cars of their choice.'
He added that buyers at the high end 'may view the typical luxury brands as having become way too common'.
This may explain the turbocharged sales of high-performance models from brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Last year, 381 such cars were snapped up in Singapore, a rise of 32 per cent from 2010. They include four Lexus LF-A supercars priced at $1.3 million each.
Observers said the trend is likely to continue not only in Singapore but also worldwide.
'In sum, what is driving ultra-luxury sales is a growing divide between not only the rich and poor, but also the rich and super-rich,' said Mr Momin.
Carmakers are preparing to cash in on the trend by introducing more models. Porsche, for instance, is aiming to double its global sales to 200,000 or more by 2018.
Meanwhile, newcomers are beckoning. The most notable is British supercar marque McLaren.
The first two McLaren MP4-12C coupes - each costing close to $1 million - have just arrived, delivered to tycoon Peter Lim, who also happens to be a shareholder of the manufacturer.
christan@sph.com.sg
The Straits Times
Jan 19, 2012
Super-luxury car brands rev up record sales
10 marques sold over 1,500 units last year, trumping 2010's high
By Christopher Tan
It has been another superlative year for the super-luxury car market, with marques like Porsche, Ferrari, Bentley and Rolls-Royce chalking up record sales despite the overall market shrinking to an all-time low.
According to the latest figures released by the Land Transport Authority, the 10 top-end brands here garnered sales of 1,569 units last year - 29 per cent more than the figure in the previous record year of 2010.
Porsche emerged at the top, with 584 cars sold. The Cayenne sport utility vehicle and Panamera sedan made up the bulk of its sales.
Runner-up Jaguar sold 389 units, a rise from 339 in 2010.
Land Rover sales more than doubled to 233 to take third place, fuelled partly by the new Range Rover Evoque.
Ferrari had a sterling year with new models like the California convertible, 458 coupe and FF four-seater. Archrival Lamborghini's sales dipped by a mere 7.5 per cent despite having no new models.
Market watchers and industry players attributed the continued surge in the high-end segment to a growing super-rich class, more models offered by the brands and the fact that most consumers in this league are less sensitive to factors such as the economy and stock market.
Mr Zafar Momin, a Nanyang Business School lecturer and a former automotive expert with the Boston Consulting Group, pointed out that ultra-luxury cars are enjoying a boom worldwide.
Rolls-Royce, for example, posted its best year in its 107-year history, with 3,538 cars delivered to customers worldwide last year, a rise of 31 per cent from 2010's sales and 6 per cent better than the previous record of 3,347 cars sold in 1978.
Mr Momin said: 'The target consumer segment for such cars has been growing. Statistics indicate that the world's wealthy are growing in numbers and in their accumulated wealth.
'For the upper end of this segment, uncertainty about the world economy has not prevented them from splurging on cars of their choice.'
He added that buyers at the high end 'may view the typical luxury brands as having become way too common'.
This may explain the turbocharged sales of high-performance models from brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Last year, 381 such cars were snapped up in Singapore, a rise of 32 per cent from 2010. They include four Lexus LF-A supercars priced at $1.3 million each.
Observers said the trend is likely to continue not only in Singapore but also worldwide.
'In sum, what is driving ultra-luxury sales is a growing divide between not only the rich and poor, but also the rich and super-rich,' said Mr Momin.
Carmakers are preparing to cash in on the trend by introducing more models. Porsche, for instance, is aiming to double its global sales to 200,000 or more by 2018.
Meanwhile, newcomers are beckoning. The most notable is British supercar marque McLaren.
The first two McLaren MP4-12C coupes - each costing close to $1 million - have just arrived, delivered to tycoon Peter Lim, who also happens to be a shareholder of the manufacturer.
christan@sph.com.sg
My Value Investing Blog: http://sgmusicwhiz.blogspot.com/