8 “Made For China” Luxury Cars

Avery Booker of Jing Daily presents eight “Made for China” luxury cars, running the gamut from gorgeous to gaudy

Luxury automakers may finally be seeing tougher times in China, as the red-hot sales figures seen since 2008-2009 start to cool, but this isn’t stopping the likes of Ferrari, Rolls-Royce and BMW from creating special “China-only” editions for what has become one of their critical markets.

As Christoph Stuermer, a Frankfurt-based analyst at IHS Automotive, recently told Bloomberg, following a 34 percent leap in 2011, growth in China’s premium-light vehicle segment is expected to slow to 24 percent, and in response, major automakers like Mercedes-Benz have kicked up their discounts to spur sales.

Yet in the ultra-premium segment, where British marques like Bentley and Rolls reign supreme, aggressive localization and pent-up demand in inland areas are expected to keep sales comparatively high in 2012. So far this year, Bentley sales in China have outpaced the company’s largest market, the United States, rising 66 percent year-over-year in the first two months of this year. Over the course of 2012, Bentley expects China sales to increase around 25 percent this year to around 2,000 units, over 1,839 sold there last year.

7 Home Collections by Luxury Fashion Brands

Luxury Society presents a round up of luxury fashion brands that have launched homewares collections, including Versace, Fendi & Ralph Lauren

‘Luxury lifestyle’ is becoming a much called-upon catch phrase to theorise extensions by luxury brands, outside their known expertise. It is not uncommon for luxury goods brands to branch out into sporting equipment (Chanel, Bugatti, Louis Vuitton), branded hotels (Bulgari, Versace), hotel suite design (Jaguar Cars, Bottega Veneta) and even branded Gold bullions (Jean-Paul Gaultier).

But one of the oldest extensions – and dare I say most logical – is the entry of luxury fashion brands into the design and manufacture of premium homewares. I say logical because fashion and home décor share two critical core competencies in textiles and design, and therefore in terms of category extension – for fashion brands – pose relatively low levels of risk.

11 Fine Jewellery Designers, China & Taiwan

Luxury Society presents a round up of fine jewellery designers of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage, featuring Wallace Chan, Anna Hu and Michelle Ong

Debate seems to be positively raging lately as to when China will develop its own luxury brands and if they will be launched from the hands of truly Chinese entrepreneurs or, as Jing Daily describes Hermès’ Shang Xia, a foreign controlled brand that employs a team of Chinese designers and craftsmen to imbue its products with a “Chinese soul”.

Whatever the model, the domestic launches of the past decade and the conversations being had by the media and executives, Chinese luxury brands will arrive in the not so distant future. 2011 was the year that China surpassed Japan as the world’s second biggest luxury economy. Unsurprisingly, the government, entrepreneurs and some pioneering consumers, are beginning to wonder why Chinese brands are not reaping more of the benefits.

10 Online Private Sale and Discount Sites, Europe

A round up of member’s only flash sale sites for luxury goods, serving the UK and Europe.

For the last in our series of Online Private Sale and Discount Sites, we focus on Europe, arguably the pioneering region of the business model, with names like Vente Privée and EspaceMax dating as far back as 2001. When Jacques-Antoine Granjon and his seven partners were designing Vente Privée back in 2000, they envisioned a platform where designers could quickly sell old stock, without harming the brand’s image or competing with other distribution channels, where the third party could maximise their returns.

The model has been applied with particular success in the US and China, and is rapidly gaining popularity in ‘emerging’ markets like Brazil, Mexico and India. Here we provide an comprehensive round up of key flash sales sites for luxury goods within the UK and Europe, but for a complete listing of sites from around the globe, we invite you to explore the Luxury Society directory.

13 Online Private Sale and Discount Sites, The Americas

A round up of member’s only flash sale sites for luxury goods, serving South, Central and Northern America.

Whilst European sites like Vente-privée are largely credited as pioneers of the flash sale revolution, what the US market lost in time, they have made up in volume. Most adapt the liquidation-focused, members-only model, as explained by HauteLook’s Adam Bernhard above, but more and more entrepreneurs are bringing in elements of gaming, social media and search technology, to offer consumers a more interactive, exciting and relevant shopping experience.

Here we provide an comprehensive round up of key flash sales sites for luxury goods within the Americas. For a complete listing of sites from around the globe, we invite you to explore the Luxury Society directory.

11 Online Private Sale and Discount Sites, Asia

A round up of member’s only flash sale sites for luxury goods, serving India, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and the Middle East

Flash Sales have become an important part of the luxury retail landscape, popularised by US companies Groupon and Gilt Groupe and in Europe by Privalia Venta Directa, BuyVIP and Vente Privée. Logos and inventory may vary but the model remains essentially the same: liquidate excess goods in limited supply, at a reduced price to a regulated network of members.

The model is becoming increasingly popular in Asia, particularly in China, where spending forecasts are high and taxes are being applied retroactively to luxury goods purchased overseas. Whilst the Chinese remain reserved towards purchasing locally, it is becoming less attractive to consumer on foreign soil – enter the online sale site.