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      04-25-2016, 09:38 AM   #10
Phatcat
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Drives: BMW M5, X5M
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Asia

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The reason China loves LWB is because labor is cheap there and therefore many people hires chauffeur to drive their cars (less than 1000 USD/month) and they sit in the back. Unlike the States, you don't need to be very wealthy to afford one.

Some might ask why don't they just buy up if they want bigger car. Well, that is because the way cars are priced in Asia (very expensive) and also some might not need the power, they just want the length. For instance, a 5 series in Taiwan starts at 80k USD, while a 7 series LWB starts at 150k. That's a difference of 70k, so we are talking about several years of chauffeur service (assuming 1k/month, 12k/year) if opted for the 5 series, so that's when you think, "wouldn't it be nice if the 5 series is longer"?

Hence in China you will also find E class as long as the S class.

Last edited by Phatcat; 04-25-2016 at 10:24 AM..
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