There are more and more super-rich people in Russia, and they have expensive tastes. Last year, they spent $2.5bn on imported, new luxury cars. They want the most exclusive cars - models that stand out in a traffic jam. One foreign vehicle salesman says: 'Russia is a place where the rich find it quite normal to buy two or three cars at once, even if they are just flashy, summer toys.'
DaimlerChrysler has a lot of rivals in that niche market, but its Russian prospects still look extremely bright. Last year, the company celebrated a record 92-per-cent increase in Russian sales. It put a new Mercedes model encrusted with Swarovski crystals on display in its Moscow showroom. The ice-blue crystals add $300,000 to the price of the Mercedes SL500, one of the fastest sports cars in the world. In Russia, the most expensive cars sell best, and Russian big spenders do not ask for credit!
Alexandra Melnikova, an automobile analyst, says Russians' love of flashy cars is no different from that in other emerging economies such as China, where the way you look is very important. Spending is in, and saving is out. A luxury car has become absolutely necessary for Russian businessmen in a market where, she says: 'It is important to compete on the same level.' If you drive an off-the-peg luxury car, not enough people will look at you. Nearly all of Rolls-Royce's Russian clients insist on something custom-made. The first gold Rolls-Royce is already in Moscow!