If not all, most premium automakers from the West express their love for the Chinese market by launching limited edition models that have one thing in common: the presence of dragons and gold accent trims.
Aston Martin is not immune from this banality as the British brand revealed three hand crafted ‘Year of the Dragon’ special editions at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.
The Dragon 88 Limited Edition concept is reserved for the DBS, Virage and V8 Vantage S models, of which only 88 will be built.
Each car features bespoke styling details such as the 24-carat gold applied to the signature Aston Martin wing badges, the embroidered dragon logo on the front seat headrests, the gold color stitching on the leather seats and three bespoke paint finishes for the exterior.
Along with the Dragon 88 special edition models, the automaker also presented the One-77 supercar, together with a four-door Rapide customised by the brand’s new ‘Q by Aston Martin’ bespoke service, and a DBS cutaway model.
Aston Martin is investing heavily in China as the company plans to open a record number of 11 new dealerships this year.
The company’s Global Sales Director Andy Gawthorpe commented: “We are investing significantly in the Chinese market throughout 2012 and beyond. Today Aston Martin operates nine dealerships in the region, with 11 additional showrooms planned to open in China this year alone.”
“With the new limited edition Dragon 88s, our ‘Q by Aston Martin’ bespoke service and the massive expansion of our sales network, China is on course to become Aston Martin’s third biggest market,” he added.
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