Brake on Sales? Not for Rolls Royce!

The Associated Press reported that there is at least one sector of the automaker industry that is bucking the downward trend - and that is in the high-end car market.

Here are some interesting figures and facts from the AP article:



Rolls Royce Phantom

It would seem that the last thing anyone would need is a US$400,000 Rolls Royce Phantom, but many actually do!

Sales of the luxury marques are either flat or down modestly. Ferrari's US sales, for instance, dipped just 3 percent for the first 10 months of the year, while Rolls Royce cruised ahead with a 32 percent growth.

Said a top aito analyst from a consulting firm: You are dealing with the ultra rich, who, even if they take a hit, a car purchase for them is a very fractional piece of their net worth.

A few bright sparks also remain for the cheap and cheerful range as well.

There has been a steady rise in global sales for low-cost cars, despite the current economic crisis.

For example, Renault's low-cost, boxy-looking Logan has become one of the company's most profitable vehicles even as profits from its other models slow to a weak 3 percent.

Renault Logan