Hyderabad Businessman Spends A Whopping Rs. 25.5 Lakh To Buy 9999 Numberplate For Toyota Land Cruiser
Car buyers across the globe love to get fancy number plates for their vehicles. Mostly, they spend extra to get the prestige, unique identity, and the feeling of owning something exclusive with these fancy number plates. Recently, it has been reported that a businessman from Hyderabad has spent an astonishing Rs. 25.5 lakh on a single number plate. He has bought this number plate for his Toyota Land Cruiser LX worth Rs. 2.1 crore.
Telangana’s most expensive number plate
According to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) of Hyderabad’s Central Zone (Khairatabad), they managed to earn Rs. 43,70,284 in just one day by auctioning off customized fancy vehicle number plates. The highlight of this auction was the sale of the ‘TG-09 9999’ number plate.
This particular number plate was bought by a city-based businessman from Soni Transport Solutions. He placed the highest bid of Rs. 25,50,002 for this unique number. As per the reports, he bought this number plate for his Rs. 2.1 crore Toyota Land Cruiser LX luxury SUV.
With this newly bought number plate, Soni Transport Solutions has now set a new record in Telangana. This record is for the highest bid amount for a fancy number plate. It has surpassed the previous record of Rs. 21.6 lakh for the same ‘9999’ number last August.
Other expensive number plates auctioned
In addition to the record-breaking bid for the ‘9999’ number plate, RTA reported that there were several other fancy numbers that managed to fetch substantial amounts. The authorities stated that Ramakrishna Yerramaneni bought the number plate ‘TG 09 A 0006’ for Rs. 2.76 lakh. It added that Arrow Advertising India Pvt Ltd won ‘TG 09 A 0005’ for Rs. 1.80 lakh.
Apart from these, Gopala Krishna Yalamanchili obtained ‘TG 09 A 0019’ for Rs. 1.20 lakh, along with William Cany Sandya Jalagam, who purchased ‘TG 09 9799’ for Rs. 1.16 lakh. Lastly, the owner of SK Car Lounge bought ‘TG 09 A 0009’ for Rs. 1.10 lakh. For those who may not be aware, earlier in March, the Telangana government changed the state abbreviation from ‘TS’ to ‘TG’.
World’s most expensive number plate
While Hyderabad’s auction set records locally, the record for the most expensive number plate sold in the entire world is from Dubai. It was reported that a two-character vehicle license plate ‘Dubai P 7’ was sold for nearly $15 million (approximately Rs. 122 crore) back in April of last year.
This auction was held by Emirates Auction LLC at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jumeirah. It saw bids starting at Dh 15 million ($4 million), which quickly climbed to $15 million. This sale shattered previous records, making it the most expensive number plate ever sold.
This record has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records. The best part about this auction was that the proceeds from this Dubai auction went to the 1 Billion Meals Endowment Campaign. This charitable initiative is led by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai.
Why are people obsessed with fancy number plates?
Behind the obsession with fancy number plates, there is not one but several factors. For many, these plates symbolize status and prestige, reflecting their wealth and standing in society. For some, these unique plates often become a part of the owner’s identity.
They believe that these plates offer a personalized touch that standard numbers lack. Additionally, owning an exclusive number plate is often seen as a mark of success and opulence, which, of course, adds to the appeal of these plates.