26th Bangkok Motor Expo 2009

Its the 26th Bangkok Motor Expo 2009 this week, which is taking place at the vast Impact Muang Thong Thani, located in Nonthaburi, on the outskirts of the city. Thailands premier motor show has taken over the vast Challenger halls for next dozen days and more than thirty major automakers have pitched up with modern, swish stands. The Impact Arena is a twenty minute ride on the small vans that bustle out in every direction from Victory Monument in the shadow of the BTS station, so the journey is relatively painless.

In Thailand, as everywhere else in the world, the car industry has been hit, and the theme of the show this year is Driving...for Sustainability. The organisers expressing their wish that "all the stakeholders cooperate in driving thailands automotive industry to prevail over the economic crisis and attain sustainable success in the future." The official logo of the show depicts light at the end of the tunnel, signifying waiting success. Emphasising the important role that the car industry plays here, the Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva is due to give a special talk entitled The Way forward for Thailands Automotive Industry and Energy Useage during the show, followed by an open forum for car companies to exchange views.

A pretty diverse array of automakers have rolled out their products on spacious stands. European brands present on the market here who have set up displays include Audi, BMW, Peugeot, Volkswagen, Volvo, Fiat, Land Rover, Citroen and Skoda. The Japanese brands, who dominate new car sales here, are of course out in force with the biggest displays, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki, are all vying for attention while other Asian brands at the Expo include Hyundai, Kia, Tata and Proton. Several Chinese carmakers, including Chery Automotive, are also represented.
Some of the highlights of the show include the new Ford Fiesta, which is getting a lot of attention, Chevrolet has an example of their Camaro muscle sports car on its stand, Honda is showing the Insight, a mild hybrid featuring its Integrated Motor Assist system, as well as handing a Thai debut to its high-end PCX 125cc scooter, Toyota has handed centre stage to its latest executive-lugger, which sits at the top of a stepped platform, Hyundai have the ix-oni, the latest concept from its design centre in Russelheim, Germany, that offers a whole new design language to the family of SUVs that will replace the Tuscon, SsangYong, who possibly make the ugliest cars on the planet, have a couple of concept SUVs which have an environmental focus, but which also soften up the brands usual quirky design language.

Business here is expected to be brisk. Despite a lack of marketing around Bangkok, the organisers are expecting around 1.6 million visitors and 15,000 orders are forecast to be taken at the show before it ends in a week-and-a-halfs time. This will be around 2,000 less than last year, which will be a pretty solid achievement bearing in mind the auto industrys problems in getting customers to buy cars. Last year the organisers revised an initial projection of 15,000 orders booked, to 13,000 units, as the global economy hit the buffers, but in the end they were pleasantly surprised when the tally eventually reached 17,000.
In one corner of the Challenger Hall there is a classic car display put on by the Vintage Car Club of Thailand; numbering less than ten exhibits the lack of quantity is more than made up for by the amazing quality, with each of of great significance and in perfect condition. Italy is represented by Fiat's pretty 508 Balilla Spider (1932) and Alfa Romeo's iconic Duetto (1962), England models comprise of an Austin Severn Tourer (1930), MG VA (1937), Lanchester LD10 (1947), Jaguar XK10 Roadster (1949), MG TF (1955) and Jaguar E-Type Series I (1964) while Germany is on show courtesy of a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (1955)

Niche sports cars to stand out include the first showing of the Magante, a brand new Thai-built supercar, difficult to fully gauge its lines in the confines of the stand but the finish quality looks very high. Proton has a white supercharged Lotus Elise on its stand, reminding visitors that the Malaysian mass producer also owns the low-volume British sports car maker, there are a couple of examples of Porsche's new Panamera, a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, and in the trade section, a superb Lamborghini Diablo.

.fullpost{display:inline;}

The
star attraction at Ford's stand at the Thailand Motor Expo that runs
from November 28 to December 10 is the Ranger Max pickup truck concept.
A team of Ford truck specialists in Thailand worked closely with Ford's
Australia-based Asia Pacific and Africa design team, led by Paul
Gibson, to create the Ranger Max. According to Ford, many of the design
cues seen on the concept could find their way into the next-generation
production model of the Ranger.
Orange
paintwork aside, the Range Max sports a new fascia with a huge
three-bar chrome grille, a customized hard tonneau cover at the rear of
the vehicle and what Ford calls a "Sportsbar" which attaches to the
pickup bed and arches across the vehicle. A set of deep-dish, 18-inch
alloy concept wheels and custom technical-look P285/60R18 tires with a
chunky tread pattern finish the Ranger Max's extreme look.
"The tough style
of Ranger Max is based on the capability and versatility that make Ford
Ranger the choice of the most demanding truck owners," said Mr. Saroj
Kiatfuengfoo, senior vice president, Ford Thailand. "Ranger Max's
high-impact design and tough style appeal will excite truck enthusiasts in Thailand."
"We
recognise that Thailand is the home of Ranger for Asia Pacific, and
from Thailand we export Ranger around the world. We know Asia is a
fusion of many cultures, and we look to Thailand as a wonderful blend
of tastes, styles and emerging ideas. For this very reason, we decided
to create Ranger Max in Thailand and show the high-impact truck to the
world at Motor Expo," added Mr. Kiatfuengfoo.