Hong Kong - A personalised number plate has sold for 2.1 million US dollars in Hong Kong, making it the wealthy city's most expensive vehicle number, a news report said Sunday.

The plate - bearing the number 18 - was bought by an electronics businessman after 43 rounds of bidding at an auction of car numbers Saturday, the Sunday Morning Post newspaper reported.

The new record price beats by 500,000 US dollars the 1.6 million US dollars paid by Emperor entertainment group chairman Albert Yeung for the registration number 9 in 1994.

Personalized or unusual number plates are seen as a symbol of prestige among wealthy Hong Kong people and the government has cashed in by holding regular car plate auctions since 2004.

Among the other most expensive car numbers in recent years are 2, which sold for 1.21 million US dollars, and I Love U, which sold for 180,000 US dollars.