Thirty-five automobile brands are present at this year's event, which carries the theme "Bionic Vehicles: Here, There and Everywhere".

The Motor Expo, which runs until December 11, has been moved from Muang Thong Thani's Impact Exhibition Centre to the adjacent Challenger Halls 1-3. These feature a combined area of 60,000 square metres, as well as another 25,000 square metres of outdoor space. This makes it the largest auto and auto-support industry show in Thailand and the second-biggest in Asia behind the Tokyo Motor Show, Kwanchai Paphatphong, organiser of the event, said yesterday.

"This year, there are three cars up for grabs as prizes for visitors, as well as those who place orders, at the show," said Kwanchai, who is also chairman of Inter Media Consultants.

The 35 brands present are: Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Brabus, Chevrolet, Citroen, Ferrari, Ford, Grand Carryboy, Hartge, Honda, Isuzu, Kia, Land Rover, London Taxi, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, MTM, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, Spyker, Ssangyong, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo and Wald.

Fifteen new models are being launched at the event, including the Honda CR-V, Toyota Camry 3.5 V6, Peugeot 207, Ssangyong Actyon, Audi TT Coupe, Mazda MX-5 and Toyota Crown.

Toyota is also highlighting the Prius, which is a hybrid-powered vehicle that runs on both petrol and electricity.

There are also a number of concept vehicles being displayed, including the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE, Mitsubishi Concept X, Mitsubishi I and the Spyker C8 Spyder.

Apart from seeing the latest technologies, another factor that draws a large number of visitors to the show every year is the large number of sales promotions offered by auto-makers in order to boost sales before the year ends.

Among the offers are no down payments, interest-free instalments and free accessories and gifts.

More than 17,000 vehicles were sold at the Motor Expo last year - 14.3 per cent higher than the predicted 15,000 - with more than 7,300 orders being placed during the final three days.

Toyota was the biggest seller, with more than 5,400 orders, followed by Isuzu with 2,500 and Honda with 2,000.

"We predict sales this year of 15,000 units, but the total market has shrunk 2-3 per cent, so we must wait and see at least until the middle of the event whether sales will reach the expected level," Kwanchai said.

Vijo Varghese,

Kingsley Wijayasinha

The Nation