THE most exclusive name in motoring drove back into China yesterday, when Rolls-Royce appointed Inchcape Pacific as its exclusive importer and distributor there.
In a remarkable signing ceremony-cum-circus held on the Great Wall, Duan Qiang, a vice-mayor of Beijing, hailed the cars, which typically cost four million yuan (about HK$3.54 million), as a visible sign of the New China.
''Rolls-Royce is known all across the world. A Rolls-Royce on the streets of Beijing is itself a sign that China's reform process is creating a stable and growing economy,'' he said.
''With these efforts I'm sure that more Rolls-Royce cars will be seen on the streets of Beijing.'' Despite having no mainland showrooms, Inchcape's operation in Hong Kong has already sold 51 cars into China since it started shipping them from the territory in 1992, with 11 sold this year.
The deal means that Rolls-Royce showrooms will be set up in China for the first time since 1949.
Michael Donovan, commercial managing director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, identified the new breed of Chinese entrepreneurs as key customers, a number of whom attended the signing ceremony, while their prized vehicles drew admiring crowds in the nearby car park.