AUTOS

Rolls-Royce to sell luxury cars in Cambodia

The Associated Press Published Monday, June 9, 2014 8:39AM EDT

Models pose beside a Rolls-Royce Wraith during the inauguration of its official dealership in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, June 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Fabled luxury car maker Rolls-Royce will soon be marketing its goods in one of the world's poorest countries.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced Monday that it has joined with a Cambodian business partner to open a showroom in the Cambodian capital next month.

Rolls-Royce Asia-Pacific regional manager Paul Harris said his company signed a deal with HGB Group Co., Ltd. because it believed demand would grow along with Cambodia's economy.

Cambodia's average per capita annual income is about $2,600, a bit less than 1 per cent of the cost of the cheapest Rolls-Royce. However, a small but wealthy elite lives in the capital of the mostly rural nation.