Fri, March 12, 2010
Small Malaysian luxury carmaker Bufori said on Wednesday that its order books were full for 2010 after it unveiled its first four door saloon at the Geneva Motor Show.
Named Geneva in tribute to Bufori's first appearance at the prestigious European showcase, the long 300,000 dollar handcrafted limousine follows the 24 year-old firm's philosophy of combining classical lines with modern technology.
"We already have quite a few customers and our order books are full until the end of the year - mostly in Asia," said General Manager Felix Haller.
"We want to limit production in the first two years to about 60 models. For the first year we're aiming to sell 40 cars," he told AFP.
Orders came from China - a top market -- India, Saudi Arabia and Australia, Haller said, following a difficult year in 2009.
Founded in Australia in 1986, the company moved to Malaysia in the 1990s with the backing of then Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamed.
"This new model marks an important milestone in the company's history. We have been developing it for close to two years and are proud of our achievements," said co-founder and managing director Gerry Khouri.
Haller said the Geneva had been engineered to meet European technical and safety standards.
The customisable car, made out of stainless steel, clad in carbon and kevlar with a handstitched leather interior, is probably one of the only vehicles on show in the Swiss city which is available with a Chinese tea set as a fitted option.
(Agencies)
