More Than 200 Figaros Sold

Celebrations as trader sells one percent of all Figaros.

by JAMES LANCASTER

A specialist car dealership passed a milestone yesterday when it sold its 200th Nissan Figaro.

It means AutosupplyUK, in Ditchling Road, Brighton, has sold one per cent of all the Figaros ever made.

It began importing the distinctive rolltops from Japan in April 2002 and there are only 20,000 in circulation.

Owner Ross Davidson said: "We have been constantly surprised by the success of the Figaro.

"The demand just keeps growing. Now it's ‘Operation Two Per Cent.’"

In sharp contrast to the beleaguered motor trade, AutosupplyUK is enjoying a purple patch. Ten orders have been taken for the Figaro since Christmas, making it the company's busiest January. The car sells for £6,000 to £8,000.

Ross said: "The motor industry is going through a barren patch at the moment so it proves what you can do with a specialist product and the accessibility of the internet.

"One of the things we have in our favour is the limited stock, which means they are holding their value very well. In fact prices have gone up since we started selling them."

The Figaros, which were made in 1991, are imported direct from Japan where they were made and come in four standard colours – grey, light blue, pastel green and beige.

However, because of customer demand Ross has resprayed ten in pink.

AutosupplyUK began life as an importer of various Japanese cars include the Mazda MX-5 and MR2.

It started focusing solely on the Figaro in April 2002 and has sold on average five a month.

Ross said: "As with all of these things there is an element of luck but we had a hunch people would like the Figaro and we have been proved right. We keep thinking, ‘this can't go on forever’ but it does."

He added: "Having worked in Japan during the time the Figaro was released I saw that given the limited number produced and their elegant and distinctive design, it was destined to be a classic".