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The [luxury / luxurious] automobile maker Rolls-Royce has reported record sales for 2013. The company said it's the fourth [consecutively / consecutive] annual sales record. It sold 3,630 cars last year, with a strong [purge / surge] in demand in the Middle East and China accounting [to / for] a good [portion / potion] of the buoyant sales. The Middle East saw a sales increase of 17 per cent last year, while [sails / sales] in China went up by 11 per cent. Rolls-Royce sold cars in more than 40 countries last year, [including / inclusive] new markets. Plans are in place to continue this [global / globally] expansion. The company CEO said: "We have reported a strong year and have maintained our position at the [pinnacle / nadir] of the super-luxury market." Super-luxury means cars [costing / costed] over $272,000.

The CEO said people buy a Rolls Royce because they want to have a [bland / brand] that is [unrivalled / rivalled] in its image of luxury. He said: "It's the ultimate [threat / treat] ; the reward for [hard / hardly] work. We see that clearly from our [customers / customs] . Around 80 per cent of our cars are bought by businessmen and women, most of whom have started and [ruin / run] their own businesses. The rest are bought by sports stars and film stars." He added that it's not just the super-rich who were [strapping / snapping] up the cars. He said: "What's interesting now is that we are seeing a new group of [individually / individuals] who have built up mid-sized businesses and they also want to treat themselves to the magic [rug / carpet] ride." Businesswomen now [accounting / account] for ten per cent of sales.