A huge number of billionaires mushroomed because of the coal industry, which has driven the prosperousness of the luxury car market. In 2011, 70% of the imported cars in the Shaanxi Province were bought by inhabitants of Shenmu. Luxury cars like Porsche, Rolls Royce and Bentley are easily found here. Local people claim that many mine owners (so called “coal bosses”) became very rich and bought luxury cars as symbol of their social status.