Buicks and Haagen-Dazs are two of the hottest items in China. From the Boston Globe via The Paper Tiger blog:
Consider Buick, often considered a grandpa’s car in the United States. In China, ”Buick is an expensive car, and has a very big name,” said Yan Lili, 30, a corporate manager in Beijing. ”I’d love to own one.” […]
In Beijing, freezers selling Haagen-Dazs ice cream stand proudly in the lobbies of five-star hotels. The price for a pint of Swiss vanilla: $10, compared to around $3 in the United States.
”Part of the reason for such pricing is simply extra costs, such as transportation and duties,” said Eddie Lu, marketing manager with Haagen-Dazs in Shanghai. … in China Haagen-Dazs has sidestepped its US image of being a premium supermarket brand to position itself as the deliverer of a uniquely luxurious culinary ”experience”, Lu added.
The strategy is working well because ”there’s a ‘reward yourself’ lifestyle here,” said Lu. ”People don’t mind paying for prestige items, especially if they are foreign.”
So! What’s your favorite FOREIGN car and ice cream? (I’ve never heard of imported Chinese ice cream!) … But this is an OPEN THREAD: