POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AT MERCEDES BENZ SHOWROOM IN HONG KONG, 2002-04-08 (photo)

Potential customers walk past a displayed E320 Mercedes Benz at a showroom in Hong Kong April 8, 2002. Many people have been laid off in the territory and more are living in fear of the axe, but the super rich are living it up. As many as 260 new Mercedes Benz E-class cars, carry a price tag of between HK$438,000 (US$56,000) and HK$748,000 (US$96,000) were snapped up over a three-day motor show in March. Sales of foreign luxury goods, from limousines to branded clothes and accessories, have shot up in 2001, clear signs that the wealthiest in Hong Kong are little bothered by the second recession in four years. REUTERS/Bobby Yip BY/CP