Wealthy eager for BMW limited editions
Updated: 2011-10-17 10:30
By Xiao Han (China Daily)
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The BMW 7 Series Steinway & Sons limited edition. |
BEIJING - China's discerning wealthy now have more appetite for individualized premium cars that meet their personal taste and social status, a demand that BMW has well recognized and is moving to meet.
The BMW 7 Series Steinway & Sons global limited edition, featuring hand polished exterior piano lacquer in either black or white, sold out all 88 cars allotted to China four months after the model went on sale in April.
The German luxury carmaker builds only two of the limited edition luxury cars a week and offers just 150 cars around the globe, more than half have been supplied to Chinese consumers at prices of up to 3.2 million yuan.
Already a flagship model of BMW, the 7 Series is further enhanced by the exclusive and elegant image of a limited edition.
An example of the craftsmanship and quest of perfection is the special three-layer clear-coat of lacquer that takes at least 35 hours to complete.
BMW will debut another limited edition 7 Series later this year at the Guangzhou Auto Show, when the 760Li V12 25th anniversary limited edition will be unveiled.
Built to mark the quarter century since the company first equipped a 12-cylinder engine in a 7 Series sedan, only 50 of the cars will be made and all are set aside for Chinese buyers.
BMW established its customized unit - BMW Individual - in 1991 to specialize in limited edition vehicles and personalized exterior paint, interior outfitting and wheels.
According to the automaker, China now ranks as its third-largest market for individual demand following Germany and the United States.
The 7 Series currently have the most customized options and special editions on sale in China, now the biggest market for BMW's top model. The sedan has registered continued strong momentum this year as sales grew about 36 percent in the first half over a year earlier.
The company said the well-received special edition and customized BMWs in China are due to correct understanding of the local market.
In 2009 the carmaker developed a special edition to mark the 60 anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In 2010 it offered the M3 Tiger Edition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the model on the Year of the Tiger in China.
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