Rolls-Royce, which builds its luxury cars in West Sussex, is hoping to find new buyers by building a showroom in the heart of China.

It hopes its new car, the Phantom Drophead, goes down a storm in Chengdu Province after opening a new showroom there - its 80th in the world.

The company, based at Goodwood, near Chichester, believe selling the cars in Chengdu, which is an area known for its giant pandas, shows confidence in China's economic growth.

Ian Robertson, chairman of Rolls- Royce Motor Cars, said: "We are delighted to announce the opening of our new showroom in Chengdu.

"China is a very important market for Rolls-Royce, with sales in 2006 growing by more than 60 per cent, making the region our third largest market."