Do you remember KLIMS 2013? I vaguely do as it was over two years ago and guess what, there’s been no announcement of having KLIMS 2016. Even if it does happen, that’s three years in between motor shows, which is hardly befitting a market like Malaysia.
Our neighbours in Thailand have two big international shows a year. The Bangkok International Motor Show is held at the end of March and they also have the Thailand International Motor Expo, which takes place towards the end of the year. In fact, I was there for the 2015 edition of Motor Expo, which just concluded on December 13th.
Here are a few figures to give you an idea what the Thai shows are about. Motor Expo reported 1.5 million visitors to the two-week event, which works out to an average of over 100,000 visitors per day. Total bookings received for cars and bikes during the show amounted to 44,874 units and if that seems impressive, it’s actually over 40,000 less than the record 85,904 bookings received in 2012.
In total, an estimated figure of over RM6 billion in sales was generated, which is more than twice the amount of the most generous political donation ever made in Malaysian history. In comparison, KLIMS is all about branding and displaying cars and concepts, not about selling metal. It’s the same ethos espoused by big international shows, which is a commendable thing to do. Unfortunately, we’re also a blip on the show circuit so what usually happens is we get poor participation from major brands and since it’s not geared up to sell cars, there’s very little incentive to invest the millions required to set up a proper show stand.
Of course, there are other factors too. It has to be remembered that Thailand has a thriving automotive and motorcycle manufacturing industry with many brands using the country as a regional and even global hub. Therefore, it’s far easier to spend millions on motor shows twice a year when the principal is footing the bill. Those with local production are also able to sell up to 10 per cent of their total volume locally without incurring hefty duties and taxes, which plays a big role in generating sales.
Still, without getting into a long-winded discourse about how Malaysia dropped the ball on developing our automotive sector, it’s an eye-opening experience to see not only fresh cars and bikes at a show in Thailand but even a few world debuts. Indonesia gets them too at the annual Jakarta International Motor Show, which leaves Malaysia and KLIMS as the poor relation in ASEAN.
Ah well, at least while you wait for KLIMS 2016 to hopefully materialise you can enjoy our pictorial below from the 2015 Thailand Motor Expo.
