Luxury car sales

When I first arrived in Myanmar in 2014, it was very unusual to see a luxury car being driven around, but now, six years later, there is an obvious trend as more 'luxury' cars are on the roads. Why? Why do some people want to pay thousands of lakh for a car?

Because cars are a great way for wealthy people to indicate to other people that they are 'rich' - and this is important to a lot of rich people. Some people not only want to be rich, but they want other people to know they are rich. Cars are great for this - they are 'status symbols' (= symbols or signs of our 'status' (or position) in society). And as Myanmar becomes more developed, luxury cars become a very effective way to display wealth

The video below is now six years old, but it effectively describes the trend in luxury car ownership that has occurred in Myanmar over the last five or six years.

1. Watch the video and identify which TWO of the luxury automobile companies below are shown in the video.

• Jaguar-Land Rover

• Rolls Royce

• Mercedes Benz

2. Watch and listen again and choose the correct option:

(a) The number of car showrooms opening in Yangon is

• unknown

• about 20

• over 200

(b) Steve Martin of Jaguar Land Rover believes that there is

• more investment opportunities now

• a increasing consumer desire for luxury goods

• a stable market for luxury cars

(c) The Asian Development Bank predicts that by 2030, Myanmar

• will more than double its per capita income

• double its per capita income

• will increase its per capita income by over 7%

(d) Chin Kee Min states that car sales

• are remaining stable

• are increasing steadily

• are increasing dramatically

(e) The main market for the luxury cars are

• Older established business people

• Businessmen living abroad

• Younger, business owners

When you are ready, enter your answers into the test below