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Vivienne Chow

Car lovers in Hong Kong - the city with one of the highest concentrations of Rolls-Royces in the world - will be among the first in Asia to see the luxury carmaker's latest concept vehicle.

The 101EX, being unveiled at the Geneva motor show today, will go on show in Hong Kong in May.

Rolls-Royce's Asia-Pacific marketing and communications manager  Stefan Conrady  said yesterday the car would also go on display in Tokyo and Singapore.

'But Hong Kong has a special role ... there are more Rolls-Royces on the road in Hong Kong than in other cities,' he said.

'Hong Kong is like a home market to us. We will continue putting effort in Hong Kong.'

Showing of the four-seat,  two-door 101EX follows on from the release of the 100EX launched in 2004 to celebrate the brand's centenary.

'We have no production plan yet but once we have revealed the pictures, we are expecting to get calls from Hong Kong asking about the car,' Mr Conrady said.

In Hong Kong, there are about 600 Rolls-Royces registered for road use.

'These cars include those  from the early 1920s to the present.'

He said that while the mainland  market was growing, Hong Kong still had a prominent position in Asia.

'Hong Kong is the gateway to China and Asia,' he said.

'Although sales in Singapore are very strong for the new Rolls-Royce Phantom, Hong Kong has a much longer history with Rolls-Royce, with many more cars registered on the road over the years, perhaps five or six times as many.'

Mr Conrady did not reveal the sales figures of Rolls-Royce in Hong Kong, but said that in 2005, 113 cars  were sold in the Asia-Pacific area, accounting for 15 per cent of the global market.

He said Rolls-Royce now had three dealers on the mainland -  in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

'The greater China market is developing very well.

'But Hong Kong has very mature and well-established customers. Hong Kong is a very good example for dealers on the mainland.'



Rolls-Royce brings the latest concept of luxury to Hong Kong