Chapter 157 The French Love British Goods
What’s a nouveau riche to do? Buy, buy, buy!
Being rich but still a miser? That's Grandet!
Xiao Peng understood why the wealthy were fleeing. While past circumstances didn't change a person's social status, the vast majority of poor people remained poor once they emerged. But if you truly had money, you'd find this place truly was a 'paradise'.
Take buying a car for example. Xiao Peng didn’t buy any supercars, even though they are indeed very cheap here.
Although the "Bugatti" is an Italian brand, the headquarters of Bugatti is now in Molsheim, France after Volkswagen acquired Bugatti. In China, the price of a "Chiron" with nothing added starts at 50 million yuan, while here it only costs 2.6 million euros, which is almost 20 million yuan.
However, buying this car here also requires paying a consumption tax of about one-fifth of the vehicle's price, as well as fuel-guzzler taxes and CO2 taxes. Buying a Chiron here costs around €3 million, or ¥25 million. Adding custom paint jobs and customizations, you can get one for around ¥4 million. All in all, the price is about one-third of what it would cost in China.
As for cars like Lamborghini and Ferrari, they are cheaper here, and most models are priced under 300,000 euros excluding tax.
If you only look at the numbers, it seems very cheap, but considering that the average monthly income of French people after tax is less than 2,500, those who can buy luxury cars here are just a small group of wealthy people, just like in China.
For Xiao Peng now, the money to buy these cars is not a problem. His problem is: he can’t drive the cars home!
What's the problem with these supercars? They ride too low!
Xiao Peng lives on a hillside. Although the road is well built, there are several consecutive turns. Such turns are not a problem for ordinary cars, but it is too difficult for a supercar with a very low ground. A trip home can scratch the front and bottom of the car!
But is there any man who doesn’t like sports cars?
It doesn’t matter that supercars are inconvenient, Xiao Peng plans to buy a GT sports car!
"Fabian, what kind of car do you like?" Xiao Peng asked Fabian.
Fabian parked the car and replied, "Anything except 'FFF'."
"Ah? What does 'FFF' mean?" Xiao Peng asked in confusion.
Fabian opened the car door, got out, and gave Xiao Peng the answer: "FIAT (Fiat), FORD (Ford), French (France)."
"Pfft." Xiao Peng just closed the car door and burst out laughing when he heard Fabian's words: "Hey, you're driving a French car now."
He said that Xiao Peng could understand Fiat and Ford. After all, the former belonged to Italy, and the French always looked down on Italians. They thought that other cars were bad except Italian sports cars. They also disliked American cars. They thought that Americans only knew how to produce but not design. However, Xiao Peng did not expect that they did not even like French cars.
You should know that France is also a major car sales country, and their car sales volume is second only to Germany in the whole of Europe!
Fabian explained, "French car designs are so romantic, so romantic that they often have some illogical features. And they often have some inexplicable little glitches. Don't people in your country buy French cars?"
"Buy it!" Xiao Peng said. "Back then, the streets were filled with Citroën C2s used as taxis, but now there are far fewer French cars. We Chinese don't buy cars like you do. You buy cars as daily tools, and practicality and ease of use are key. We consider cost-effectiveness, appearance, fuel consumption, and performance. Furthermore, cars in our country are also social tools, meant to give the owner face, and French cars don't have any advantages in these areas. Fabian, if you had to choose, what car would you buy?"
"Me?" Fabian grinned. "I want a British car. An Aston Martin would be nice."
Fabian's words reflect the views of many French people. Despite the long-standing feud between the French and the British, a significant number of French people admire the British "gentlemanly" lifestyle and emulate it in many ways, learning from their habits and emulating their style.
"Xiao, believe me, if we salvage that batch of 'rhodium', I will definitely sell it for a good price. By then, I will definitely buy an Aston DB11 to replace my Renault." Fabian vowed.
Fabio also got a good share of the jewelry sales, about a little over 9 million, but he spent it almost immediately: he bought a villa in San Pedro in Marseille.
Due to the influence of the French film "And God Created Woman", San Pedro has become a tourist destination that tourists flock to. It is also a place where wealthy celebrities gather, and there are all kinds of luxurious villas everywhere.
The villa Fabian bought is right by the sea, complete with a large private beach and a swimming pool. It's not very large, covering just over 400 square meters. It's a single-story villa with bright, spacious floor-to-ceiling windows. It has only nine rooms, including a living room, dining room, kitchen, and study.
Such a villa cost more than 8 million! And this was a preferential price given to him by the owner.
Housing prices in France aren't as cheap as you might think. Take Marseille, for example: prices in the northern inland areas are shockingly cheap, while prices in the southern coastal areas are incredibly expensive. You can't judge a country's housing prices by its average price.
Fabian had just finished speaking when he heard a man's voice behind him: "Aston Martin DB11? This gentleman has good taste! We happen to have it in stock!"
The person who was speaking was a young man in a suit. Judging from the label on his chest, he was a salesperson here.
Xiao Peng was stunned. "Oh my god, your French car dealerships have such good service? There are sales staff in the parking lot?"
Fabian was also stunned: "No! This is very un-French! Even in this economic downturn, there's no way we can have such good service!"
The young man smiled slightly, extended his hand to the two men and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Eric Cantona Jr., and I'm a salesperson here."
"What's your name?" Xiao Peng and Fabian exclaimed in unison. Eric Cantona was a famous French footballer back in the day. His name was Eric Cantona Jr. Could he be Cantona's child?
Cantona Jr. looked at their expressions and understood what they were thinking. He smiled and explained, "My father is a Cantona fan, so he gave me this name. My father's name is Eric Deron."
Xiao Peng and the others suddenly realized. This was similar to the origin of Isiah Thomas Jr. in the NBA, but Isiah Thomas Jr.'s father was still named Thomas, but this guy even changed his last name!
As long as you are happy.
Cantona Jr. said, "I've just joined Universal Motors as a salesperson and don't have much sales experience, so I'm trying to be the first to catch more customers by providing better service. Gentlemen, please come this way."
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