Auto companies bank on Thai Motor Expo

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Auto companies bank on Thai Motor Expo 
The Nation: 2 Dec 2009
Auto companies are banking on Motor Expo for a traditional year-end boost
By KINGSLEY WIJAYASINHA
THE NATION

Auto companies are banking on Motor Expo for a traditional year-end boost

Automobile companies participating at the 26th Thailand International Motor Expo are hoping the event will serve as consolation for a poor year for sales.


Organisers of the Motor Expo say sales at this year's event should be close to last year's 17,000 vehicles. Positive factors include the easing recession, as well as more stable oil prices and the government's stimulus packages.

"The number of orders for this year's show should be in line with the recovering economic situation, and we expect 15,000 orders to be placed," Kwanchai Paphatphong, president of organiser Inter Media Consultants and chairman of the organising committee, said yesterday.

Last year, Kwanchai predicted a 15,000-unit sales figure, which was later lowered to 13,000, due to political unrest. But in the end, 17,000 orders were placed.

In the first 10 months of this year, auto sales in Thailand plunged by 17.7 per cent year on year, with only 419,755 units being sold. But sales in October showed improvement, with the 53,271 units sold representing growth of 8.8 per cent year on year and 9.5 per cent month on month.

Some 1.6 million visitors are expected to turn up at this year's Motor Expo, which officially starts today and goes on until December 13 in Challenger Halls 1-3 of Impact Muang Thong Thani.

Every year, the Motor Expo serves as the final buying season of the year as auto companies throw in attractive sales promotions in order to reap year-end sales and reach their respective annual targets.

Highlights of this year's event are subcompact cars. Thirty-two auto brands are taking part, and among the stand-out vehicles are the Ford Fiesta, a highly popular subcompact with sales of 12 million units around the world; the Chevrolet Camaro, from the movie "Transformers"; the Honda Insight hybrid; the Toyota Prius hybrid; the Suzuki Swift hatchback; the Citroen C6; the Proton Exora multi-purpose vehicle (MPV); and the Hyundai IX-ONIC concept, which is the prototype for a new model to replace the Tucson compact sport-utility vehicle.

Orders are expected for the newly launched Mazda2, which is actually the sibling of the Fiesta, and the Honda Freed, which is an Indonesian-built subcompact MPV based on the Jazz.

Toyota will also be attracting visitors with the Corolla Altis Advanced CNG.