Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Reviews

The striking little yellow Dongfeng D120 was a star at this week's Beijing motor show, the largest auto show in the massive Chinese market.The D120 was one of 15 cars at the show from Dongfeng, a major Chinese manufacturer. It has joint ventures with Citroen, Nissan and Honda.The show opened last Sunday amid rocketing sales with few signs that growing traffic congestion, pollution and rising oil prices were clouding the future of the industry.While international producers unveiled their latest products, the Chinese were displaying more than 180 domestic-made vehicles. Many of them are hoping that their inexpensive cars may one day find their way into global markets.Australian importer Ateco is looking at bringing Chinese-made cars Down Under within the next two years.Cars like the Geely, Great Wall, Chery and Red Flag are enjoying an almost 25 per cent market share in China, according to Xinhua news agency reports this week.After years of growth, China is the world's second largest car market after the US.In the first 10 months of 2006, 5.89 million cars were produced and 5.77 million cars sold in China, figures up 27 per cent and 26 per cent respectively from January-October 2005, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.If this trend does continue, China will have 100 million cars on its roads by 2020, up from43 million in 2005, a phenomenon that will cause severe pollution unless stricter emission controls are implemented, Xinhua says.More than 500,000 potential car buyers are expected to attend the 10-day show, many of them first-time buyers.International prestige brands are at the show keen to sell to the country's wealthy who are proud, and keen to flaunt their riches.It is this fast-growing generation of mainly under 35-year-old, self-made tycoons that the world's top luxury carmakers have now firmly set their sights on."We have more than 300,000 millionaires in China, so I think it's a good number for us to go into the market," Stephan Winkelmann, president and CEO of Lamborghini, says.Rolls Royce sales are up 50 per cent from last year and China has become its third largest market after the US and Britain, says Ian Robertson, chairman and chief executive."It is growing dramatically. There is a fast growing number of very rich people in this country," Robertson says.And sales in China, including Hong Kong, at 65 vehicles out of its global total of about 800, represented "nearly 10 per cent of our business," Robertson says.Porsche, which entered China in 2001, sold 857 cars in China last year and says it expects that figure to double this year.However, the show also comes as a new report shows there are problems with local production. Defects have been found in 77 per cent of domestically made cars, largely due to a price war forcing manufacturers to cut corners, according to an industry survey which was released this week.The range of defects, found within six months of the car being bought, involved tyres, airconditioning, brakes, locks and steering wheels, the China Daily newspaper reported, citing as its source the 2006 China Automobile Customer Satisfaction Index."The defects are a result of car makers constantly reducing prices and sacrificing quality," the paper quoted Fan Tianshun, director of the China Quality Association, which conducted the poll, as saying.For every 100 new cars, there were an average of 338 defects, much higher than last year's figure of 246.On average, China's car prices have dropped about 10,000 yuan ($A1250) per car each year over "the past few years" as manufacturers try to compete in the the booming market, the paper writes.Defects were more prevalent in cheaper cars in the 30,000 yuan ($A5000) to the 50,000 yuan ($A8240) range, such as China's Geely, Chery QQ and the Changan Alto.But fewer defects in more expensive cars helped result in customer satisfaction for China's domestically-built automobiles growing by 0.1 per cent so far this year over the figures reported in 2005. The index was based on a poll of 4648 participants in 36 cities this year, the paper reported.AFP 

But now the country's new rich are proud, and are keen to flaunt their wealth.It is this fast-growing generation of self-made tycoons that the world's top luxury carmakers have set their sights on as they flock to the Chinese capital this week for the Auto China show, which opened today."We have over 300,000 millionaires in China, so I think it's a good number for us to go into the market," said Stephan Winkelmann, president and chief executive officer of Italian luxury sports car maker Lamborghini.China's passenger car sales have been growing strongly, at 26.4 per cent in the first nine months of the year, amid a burgeoning affluent class and a desire by those who have made it to flaunt their hard-earned cash.Rolls Royce sales are up 50 per cent from last year and China has become its third largest market after the United States and Britain, said Ian Robertson, chairman and chief executive."It is growing dramatically," he said. "There is a very fast growing number of very rich people in this country."Sales in China, including Hong Kong, at 65 vehicles out of its global total of around 800, was "nearly 10 per cent of our business," Robertson said.Porsche, which entered China in 2001, sold 857 cars in China last year and said it expected that figure to double in 2006.With price tags ranging from $US377,215 ($A492,801) to $US554,430 ($A724,319), Lamborghini has sold just 25 cars since it started selling here two years ago but Winkelmann said the company expected to sell 30 each year in the near future.Their Chinese clientele tend to be male entrepreneurs under 35, and were developing a discerning taste for luxury brands, while at the same time were keen to show off their wealth, the executives said."There is lot of peer pressure here... you've got to have this, you've got to have that... by positioning our brand, we're attracting a lot of business that way," said Mark Bishop, managing director of Porsche China.And the prestigious brand forays into China are as much about testing the market in the untapped territory which they believe has tremendous potential, even if business is not immediately profitable."It's not so much selling the cars these days but getting to know the market... get to know how they live, eat, what their hobbies are," Winkelmann said."This market is going to explode in terms of high luxury and super sports cars so I think in years to come, there is a big potential in volume."But distribution of wealth in China is extremely unequal and the sources of the fortunes of its new rich are often questionable.With nearly 200 million people in China living below the World Bank's poverty line of one US dollar per person per day, the nation's richest 10 per cent are enjoying 45 per cent of the country's wealth.There is also a disproportionately large number of Chinese tycoons on Forbes' rich lists over the years who have been linked to graft scandals.International firms said it was no business of theirs to judge a client's background."I don't think these are the things you can be overly worried about, because you can't change your market positioning for that," Bishop said."We don't look into their history. They have got the money to buy, it's not the issue of the car industry to blame them, it's someone else's business," Winkelmann said."This is a phase in the economic growth of the country," he said.While millions in China cannot afford their own luxury cars now, there is nothing to stop them from dreaming owning a Porsche, a revolution in itself given that such dreams were once an anathema to the ruling communists.And this was evident at this year's auto show where hundreds of ordinary citizens thronged to the exhibition where many could not afford a ticket to get in the door and hung about outside in the hope of getting a free pass."I can't afford it, but I just want to look at the new models. I love cars and it gives me great satisfaction just looking at them," said 36-year-old driver Li Jinshui.AFP

Twenty five of the Bespoke cars, called Phantom Black, have been hand built at Goodwood in England. They feature lustrous metallic "Diamond Black" paintwork, 21-inch alloy wheels and visible tail pipes. Under the bonnet the 6.75 litre V12 engine has gloss black inlet manifolds, chrome plated top covers and new black Rolls-Royce badges. The company boasts the motor is almost silent while pumping out 337kW and can sprint from 0-100km/h in 5.7sec with a limited top speed of 239km/h. It might be bling outside and muscle under the bonnet, but inside, it is still all gentlemen's club with soft black leather upholstery edged with "Seashell" piping, black ash wood veneer and silver pinstripe on the door capping. However, the steering wheel has a slightly thicker rim, hinting at its sporting dynamics. All 25 Phantom Blacks have been snapped up. Who knows; they could feature in the next hip hop video.

It will take nearly eight days to get things set for the 11th show.The cars will not be put in place under spotlights until a couple of hours before the industry preview next Thursday morning, before the public opening at 5pm.The battle for best in show is running hot, though Ford and Holden are still refusing to talk about their cars.Show organiser Russ Tyrie, of the VACC, says: "We still have no idea what they are doing."But there's a group of $1 million-plus exotics, and a concept has been shipped from Europe for the show."I suppose the most expensive car is the Senso (inset) concept. It is probably about $3 million with all the technology," Tyrie says."The most expensive production car at the show is probably a toss-up between the Rolls-Royce Phantom (above), the Maybach 57S and the Pagani Zonda."There are 42 manufacturers this year. The show space was sold out in July. There will be hundreds of cars, so you don't have to work hard to get to $25 million worth of cars."There is plenty of hard work to get the show built and ready."It is almost like building a house in just over a week," Tyrie says. "Many of the stands are very complex, both in their construction and set-up."Some are double-storey and some are shipped in from overseas. Many have audio-visual elements that anyone would love to have as a home theatre."There will also be action outside the show itself, with stunt driver Russ Swift arriving from Britain at the weekend for his second appearance in Melbourne."He will be driving a Peugeot 307 this year. And it promises to be pretty spectacular, Tyrie says.Swift is famous for his high-speed parking, handbrake turns, skids, slide and two-wheeling antics. He will practise in the car park at the exhibition centre from Wednesday, and give four performances each day of the show.This year's event will start at lunchtime on Tuesday with a street parade featuring some of the show's biggest drawcards."We are expecting to have 10 cars in the parade. They will be the most exotic cars from the show and they will all be driven from the corner of Burke and Swanston streets, along Swanston St to Federation Square."The cars will be displayed afterwards and there will be a series of interviews, including one with Russ Swift," Tyrie says.The Melbourne Motor Show opens next Thursday at 5pm and runs until 6pm on February 19.

The Phantom EWB, as it is known, will be an undisputed star of the show when it opens its doors at 5 pm on Thursday 9 February at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.Remarkably, it will not be the Show's most expensive car - that will be the $1.2 million Pagani Zonda Roadster - but it does have vast potential for optional equipment.It has an extra 250 mm in the wheelbase to create additional space for the rear occupants and for specialist items crafted by the company's Bespoke design and engineering team.Rolls-Royce owners can choose from a palette of 45,000 paint colours, special woods, fridges, wine cellars, safes, humidors and computer equipment.Regardless of Bespoke equipment, all the beautiful wood and leather fittings are created by Goodwood craftsmen and women.Rolls-Royce is the world's top selling super-luxury car, and last year sold 796 Phantoms in more than 40 countries, including Nigeria, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan - and, of course, Australia.The new Phantom has attracted a new type of owner, which has resulted in higher average mileages - up from around 3000 km to almost 10,000 km, and in some cases as much as 50,000 km.As average mileage goes up, the average age of owners is coming down - it now stands at around 56 years old, and many of these customers are new to the brand.