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The world's fastest four-door sedan, the six-litre 552 bhp Bentley Continental Flying Spur, is poised to land on Indian roads early next month. This super-luxury piece of machinery will be launched in New Delhi on July 3, 2005, and carry a price tag close to Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million).
The Spur, the latest global launch of Bentley, adds to the growing cavalcade of super luxury cars costing Rs 1 crore and more that have been trying to lure the super rich even though they have yet to find a proper slot in the monthly production and sales reports of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
Only Daimler Chrysler, the lone member of the association from among the super luxury car makers gets its jewels listed in it.
Automobile analysts say the sales will remain dormant for some time. "The total demand for these super luxury cars cannot be more than 50 or 60 a year in India. But this could grow to 400-500 cars in the next three to four years," said Anang Dev Jena, chief of Synovate Motoresearch.
Recent times have seen the advent of the most famous marquees from the world of super luxury cars -- the Porsches (Rs 85 lakh-Rs 1 crore), Audis (Rs 70 lakh), Roll Royce Phantom (Rs 3 crore), Bentley's own Arnage R (Rs 2.3 crore) and Daimler Chrysler's Maybach (Rs 3 crore, spruced up to Rs 5 crore through add-ons in a famous recent purchase).
Despite the supposedly unimpressive volumes, most of these brands have had tasted success, thanks mainly to their pricing.