Roll-Royce is one of the most well-known and expensive car companies in the world. Cambodia is one of the world’s poorest countries. Doesn’t exactly sound like a match made in heaven, does it? Interestingly enough, however, the two of them will be thrown together in the near future, as Rolls-Royce is going to begin marketing its goods in Cambodia very soon.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced Monday that it has partnered with a Cambodian business that will allow the car company to open a showroom in the Cambodian capital next month. Paul Harris, Asia-Pacific regional manager for Rolls-Royce, has stated the the company signed a deal with HGB Group Co., Ltd. believing that the demand for Rolls-Royce vehicles would grow along with Cambodia’s economy.
While I admire Harris’s ambition, it seems unlikely that Cambodia’s economy will grow to that point anytime soon. According to the World Bank, the average person in Cambodia earns just over $1,000 annually, which is less than one-half of 1 percent of the cost of the cheapest Rolls-Royce. Apparently Rolls-Royce is banking on the small but incredibly wealthy group of individuals that live in Cambodia’s capital. Many of these people have been seen driving high-end Lexus vehicles on the city’s streets. According to Harris, five Rolls-Royces have been sold in Cambodia since 2005.
“Nobody would believe that such a luxury car would come to Cambodia,” said Camobdian Minister for Industry and Handcrafts Cham Prasidh, who was present for the big announcement.
Prasidh believes that with the upgrading of Cambodian roads, along with the increasing rise of living standards for Cambodia’s citizens, has encouraged car manufacturers from other countries to enter the Cambodian market. Both he and Harris seem very optimistic that Rolls-Royce’s presence in Cambodia will be a success, despite the low economic status of so many of the country’s people.
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