Luxury automaker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. is considering opening an
additional showroom in South Korea in an effort to boost its presence in the
fast-growing market for foreign carmakers, the company's head said Wednesday.
"As we want to grow our business here in (South) Korea, there are additional
opportunities," Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, chief executive officer (CEO) of
Rolls-Royce, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul.
"We are discussing (opening more showrooms) with our partner, Kolon. For
instance, Busan might be an interesting area," he said, adding any decision on
the showroom expansion has yet to be made.
HBC Kolon Motors is the
local dealer for the luxury car. Currently, Rolls-Royce has only one showroom in
downtown Seoul.
Rolls-Royce, which was acquired by German automaker
BMW in 1998, has long been considered a maker of high-end luxury cars, selling
custom-built automobiles that cost between 500 million won (US$440,140) and 700
million won.
While discussing the quality of Rolls-Royce vehicles,
Mueller-Oetvoes said his company makes cars of "the best quality you can buy for
money" with "unbelievable dedication to every detail," and provides "an utmost
comfort" to all customers.
The high-end Rolls-Royce automobiles first
made their debut in South Korea back in July 2004 with its luxury sedan the
Rolls-Royce Phantom and sold 5 cars that year. In the first eight months this
year, 19 Rolls-Royce vehicles were sold here, up 11.8 percent from a year
earlier.
Noting that this was his first visit to Seoul since assuming
his role as CEO, Mueller-Oetvoes said the South Korean market has become of
growing importance to Rolls-Royce.
Sales of imported cars have been
growing sharply in South Korea. In the January-August period, local distributors
sold a cumulative 83,583 vehicles, up 20 percent from a year earlier.
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Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, chief executive of Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars Ltd. (Photo courtesy of
Rolls-Royce) |