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Published on November 6, 2007

Organisers say the show is banking on there being an increase in car sales in the fourth quarter.

At last year's show, more than 17,000 vehicles were sold, even though the target was only 15,000. Most of them were priced at about Bt1 million.

This year, cars and accessories worth Bt15 billion are expected to be traded at the expo.

Bangkok's expo is believed to be the biggest sales earner of any motor show in Asia. Leading motor shows elsewhere in the world - including those at Frankfurt, Tokyo and Detroit - do not allow sales.

The theme for this year's Motor Expo, to be held at Muang Thong Thani's Impact Arena is "Future Vehicles Stun the World", focusing on new technologies that afford convenience, safety and economy.

"We don't believe the high oil prices will affect the number of units sold, although it is possible there'll be a trend towards cheaper cars with smaller engines," said Kwanchai Paphatphong, chairman of Inter-Media Consultant, the organising company.

"The first half of the year saw a 12.6-per-cent drop in sales year on year. However, in the third quarter the difference was only 9 per cent. It's possible the total difference between 2006 and 2007 may be only about 5 or 6 per cent as opposed to the two-digit drop foreseen by auto companies."

The expo will see two new brands that were launched in Thailand this year: Hyundai and Proton. A total of 34 vehicle brands will be on display, but some will be represented by "grey market" importers.

Last year's expo received 1.6 million visitors, although 2.6 million free tickets were given away.

This year, in an attempt to boost the number of visitors, 3.3 million free tickets will be given away. Kwanchai said one clear indication the market was growing stronger was that auto companies were maintaining their sales campaigns.

More importantly, none of the companies had decided to pull out of the expo or delay launches of any models that were planned for the show.

Other activities at the expo will include 4-x-4 training by the Spirit of 4-x-4 Driving School, a car-audio show, the Motor Expo Design Award 2007, a Thai cultural show and many car-club get-togethers.

"Due to the slump in the auto market, the second-hand market has been picking up, and you can expect to see the second-hand division of many auto companies at the show. Used-car programmes that will be there include Toyota Sure, BMW Premium Selection, Chevy OK, ID1 Mercedes-Benz and Mini Next. It shows that even premium brands see the point in such a market," Kwanchai said.

Many sports cars will also be launched at the expo, including the new Subaru Impreza WRX STI, the Aston Martin Vanquish, the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, the Porsche 911 GT3, the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, the Spyker C8 Spyder and three units of the limited edition Lotus Exige S British GT.

Vijo Varghese

 The Nation