US$300 for a Ferrari bicycle?

Amid soaring popularity of imported cars, sales of bicycles made by famous foreign brands such as BMW, Porsche and Lamborghini have also surged.

According to online shopping mall 11 Street on Wednesday, sales of bicycles of foreign luxury car brands priced over 500,000 won (447.3 U.S. dollars) surged 50 percent year-on-year over the first quarter of this year. The most popular product was Ferrari`s "CRB7007 Hybrid" priced at 759,000 won (679.2 dollars), which saw sales jump by 300 percent. 11 Street will hold a luxury bike brand event for some 30 brands including BMW, Ferrari and Cadillac until Sunday. Ferrari products will be sold 61 percent off normal price at 299,000 won (267.6 dollars), for a limited 100 bikes. People can buy BMW`s "Mini FDB-207" at 320,000 won (286.4 dollars), down 44 percent from its original price of 574,000 won (514.7 dollars).

bsism@donga.com