Audi to cruise into local market
German luxury car manufacturer Audi has expanded into Cambodia, joining the recent entry of higher-end automobile producers into a small but growing market.
At a signing ceremony in Phnom Penh yesterday, Audi AG appointed Automotive Asia (Cambodia) Ltd as its official distributor in the country. The distributor is a subsidiary of Automotive Asia, the Audi importer in Vietnam.
Sales will start in mid-2014 after a 2200-square-meter showroom and workshop is built on Monivong Boulevard. Speaking at the still empty site yesterday, Christine Rudolph, Audi AG dealer development manager, said it was the right time to enter Cambodia. …
And competition exists. A handful of brands are seeking a foothold in Cambodia’s tiny luxury car market. Besides Mercedes, which has been sold for decades, Bayerische Motoren Werke, or BMW, opened a showroom at the beginning of this month in Phnom Penh through a contract with Cambodia’s Royal Group, and Porsche announced plans earlier this year to open a full sales, service and spare parts facility by mid-2014. …
Data from Ministry of Commerce show that Cambodia imported 440,318 vehicles, including motorbikes, in the first six months of this year, down 17.8 per cent compared to same period of 2012.
Anne Renzenbrink
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/audi-cruise-local-market
