Ferrari celebrates 999th car sold in China
- Source: CNTV.CN
- [17:05 January 18 2011]
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Italian carmaker, Ferrari, celebrated its 999th car sold in China with its largest ever exhibition in the country.
Italian supercar-maker Ferrari is celebrating its 999th car sold in China, with a special show in Shanghai. Ferrari just couldn't wait till 1000.
15 of Ferrari's luxury sports cars are on display, no doubt attracting attention from the growing ranks of affluent Chinese.
Italian carmaker, Ferrari, celebrated its 999th car sold in China with its largest ever exhibition in the country. 15 of Ferrari's luxury sports cars were on show at the iconic Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.
Models ranged from classics like the Spider and Modena, to limited editions like the Enzo. With a top speed of 350 kmh, just 400 of the Enzos were built.
Other top performance cars include the 430 Scuderia and the GTB599 Fiorano.
All aimed squarely at China's growing ranks of affluent Chinese, in particular the younger generation like Johnson Zhang who spent about $590,000 on his 458 Italian.
Zhang owns the 999th Ferrari sold in China
Johnson Zhang, The 999th Ferrari car owner said "Thank you Ferrari for allowing me to realise my dream as a man -- to own a 458 Italian. The figure nine has very good meaning in Chinese. It means long-lasting, perfection and sustainability".
Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa is aiming to sell 600 cars in the next two or three years.
Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari CEO said "That means to position China as the second market in the world just behind US"
Ferrari set up its China branch in 2004 and has witnessed the growth of the world's most populous nation into the world's biggest car market. Ferrari is one of the country's best known luxury car brands, with many like Li Wei aspiring to own one someday.
Li Wei, 29-year-old tourist said "It's too expensive but I still like it very much. For example, the limited edition art model, the 599GTB Fiorano, which costs around 11 million yuan ($1.6 million) was bought by a Shanghai buyer. I hope one day I would be able to own a car like that."
China is set to become the world's biggest luxury market in five to seven years, according to a Boston Consulting survey conducted last year.
