The 28th Thailand International Motor Show officially kicked-off on 1st December, in Bangkok at the Impact Challenger; though with a lower sales-booking target. The 12-day International automobile event will go on till December 12th 2011 and has a sales target of 25,000 cars; reduced considerably from the previous target of 30,000 orders.
President and Chief Executive of Inter-Media Consultant Co. and organising Chairman of the motor show, Kwanchai Paphatpong believes that the floods earlier this year may have left a psychological impact on potential car buyers in Thailand.
However, Paphatpong remains certain that the motor event is expected to attain the sales booking target of 25,000 cars as the demand for new cars is still rife among buyers in Thailand. Paphatpong also mentioned, “As the motor show is offering free admission this year, it would be deprived of about BHT 20 million (S$830,000) in ticket fees.”
During the previous year, the Thailand International Motor Show witnessed a maximum of 1.5 million car enthusiasts, which is expected to slump down to around 1.2 million visitors this year.
The international event is expected to see around 40 automobile companies showcasing new concept cars. Among various car makers, Mazda is expected to steal the show with car orders expected to reach around 2,500. Out of the 2,500 bookings, nearly 60% are expected to be for Mazda2. Moreover, Mitsubishi Motors is also envisaging a similar car booking figure at the international automobile fair.
The floods in Thailand have not only taken toll on the car manufacturers but are expected to influence customer behaviour as well. Thus, even with a lower sales booking target, Thailand's automobile industry is slowly getting back on its feet.
