Here’s another proof that we’ve gone way behind in terms of progress in the SEA region – Malaysia just got its first Rolls-Royce showroom in Kuala Lumpur.

Sure, European cars are steadily becoming popular with Audis and Beemers now starting to become part of the metro’s daily vista but as for ultra-luxury cars, not quite. A Rolls-Royce isn’t something you see on a daily basis unless you know/are/drives for this guy.

For a company such as Rolls-Royce to establish a showroom in a country means it acknowledges that a market for their expensive cars exists. Oh sure. There are Pinoys with the big bucks to buy one but the size doesn’t quite justify the whole expense of setting up a serious base in the Philippines. No Rolls-Royce dealerships here. That’s just how small a population the really rich are.

As for Malaysia, well, let’s just say that they seem to have that critical mass to prompt Rolls-Royce to put up a 2,400 square foot showroom in Petaling Jaya. Besides, Malaysia has a legitimate automotive industry with Proton (which owns Lotus and MV Augusta.

So that makes Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia that have Rolls-Royce dealerships. Shame if Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos get theirs before us.