WE hate to be the bearers of bad tidings, but that's exactly the task we have to perform for Rolls-Royce owners. Hitherto they been immune to the activities of car thieves catering for the mainland market, on the basis that there were not enough Rollers in China to enable any stolen over here to blend in easily over there. But that appears to be changing. Our man on the Beijing cocktail circuit says more Rolls were sold in China during March than in any other part of the world. A recent three-day sales blitz on the mainland yielded as many sales as in Britain, where only 17 of the prestigious automobiles were bought last month. In fact, the company's salesman in China, Nigel Cornelius, sold nine from a hotel room in Shantou during a recent visit. With 15 new Rolls-Royces delivered to customers in China in the past seven months, the British-based company plans to open a showroom this summer to cater for increasing demand. Just think what rich pickings await the car thieves in Hongkong (with more Rolls per square kilometre than any other part of the globe). Mercedes-Benz owners can heave a sigh of relief at last.
