SINGAPORE: Forget designer shoes and handbags. More
affluent women in the Asia Pacific region are splurging instead on
high-end performance cars.
The world of hot wheels is no longer just for the
men.
Meet business consultant Nguyen Tuyet, who drives a
Porsche 911-GT3, a street legal race car.
She has even beaten men with her super fast timings on the Formula
One Spa Track in Belgium.
Nguyen said: "I was always interested in driving fast. I would
prefer to go for a driver training or go for a tracking in Europe
than buy a handbag."
She also disclosed how fast a motorist can easily chalks up.
Nguyen said: "On a straight (road), you can reach 300. That's the
thing about women. We don't check the absolute speed. We drive and
we just want it to be smooth."
Rich women buying luxury fast cars is the latest trend throughout
the Asia Pacific, especially China, where women make up one-third
of Maserati sales.
And two in 10 Ferrari buyers are female.
In Singapore, women bought nearly 30 percent of the 300 Porsches
sold in the first half of 2011.
Christer Ekberg, Managing Director of Porsche Asia Pacific, said:
"Female drivers appreciate different things. We do a lot of
collaborations and joint venture activities with other companies
that cater to female customers.
"We even have customers who want their car, the interior leather of
the car, in the same colour as their favourite lipstick or their
favourite handbag."
Porsche expects the female market share to grow to 40 percent in
the next 10 years.
- CNA/de
