Open market brings best cars to buyers

SHANGHAI - From the latest designer fashion to the most cutting-edge high-tech products, China's increasingly open market has brought the world's best goods to it doorstep.

Through the government-supported parallel import scheme, more Chinese consumers enjoy easy access to overseas premium vehicles like Porsche and Landrover, and their enthusiasm has set cash registers ringing amid softening sales in the broader market this year.

In the first eight months of the year, auto parallel imports - that is, vehicles brought from other markets for sale in China - surged 47.2 percent year-on-year to 110,000 units.