Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 (KLIMS13) opened today. And I have some comments. UPDATED

The Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 (KLIMS13) was officially launched by YB Dato’ Hasan Bin Malek, Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives & Consumerism earlier today. There are some highlights of the show below as well as the official press release for your viewing pleasure folks. (Perodua aside as I have reported about it already).

But before that, I also have to state the obvious. While KLIMS13 has quite a number of concept cars from the likes of Citroen, Hyundai, Perodua, Toyota to name a few and a few notable car launches and previews by Volkswagen (the CKD Polo 1.6 hatchback), Ford (Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost, Fusion Hybrid), as well as some others, the motorshow is lacking some big names and heavy hitters. Proton is not around. The major luxury German brands are non-existant (Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz). There are no Rolls Royces or Bentleys. There are no Mitsubishi, Suzuki or Mazda. There is also no Kia or Chevrolet. There is also no Jaguar or Land Rover. No Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati too. Sad but very true.

I have not forgotten the fact that Infiniti and Subaru are first time participants. These car manufacturers bring a slight difference to this year's motor show. But it isn't much of a compensation.

This clearly shows that the motor industry in Malaysia needs a bigger push. Think about how big the Bangkok Motor Show and the Jakarta Motor Show are. We need to be at least on par with these regional shows. The organizers may need to persuade the manufacturers harder to come show off their cars here in Kuala Lumpur but I think the industry needs to have a big push from the Government so that automotive manufacturers can decide that Malaysia is an open and growing market.

 No, not by scrapping old cars like we have recently heard but incentives like tax breaks and other stuff. We need to be innovators in something. If we cannot be assemblers like Thailand or a really huge local market like Indonesia, we need to focus on some technological niches or at least some R&D. More hybrid and electric technology maybe. Who knows.

And oh, I do believe a whole lot of ego needs to be put aside to make this country a great big automotive nation. In the meantime, just enjoy some of the photos below.

The truly beautiful Citroen Numero 9 Concept car

The truly 'new' Toyota Vios TRD Sportivo

The Konica Minolta Ice-mU stand - has one of those 'supercars' to showcase their window film

Part of the Auto Salon - For those modified car fans out there.

3M and Toyo Tyres

Some American clunkers, er, classics

The UD Quester truck

The Honda EV-STER - a Honda Beat successor? 

The CEO of VW Malaysia giving an overview of VW sales and targets in front of some VW Polo 1.6s.

More pics to come.

Press Release 

KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW 2013

INCITES MOTORING EXCITEMENT WITH TEN DAYS OF SPECTACLE

Kuala Lumpur, 14 November 2013 – The Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 (KLIMS13), Malaysia’s largest and signature motor show opened today with much anticipation, hype and fanfare.

YB Dato’ Hasan Bin Malek, Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives & Consumerism, launched the ten days of motoring spectacle in an opening ceremony for KLIMS13 a day before the motor show opens it’s doors to the public. KLIMS13 will be held from 15 to 24 November 2013 at the Putra World Trade Centre.

The opening ceremony of KLIMS13 was concurrently held with the closing ceremony of the 4^th Kuala Lumpur International Automotive Conference 2013, organized by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) and the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI).

KLIMS13 is organized by MAA and managed by Interexpo (M) Sdn Bhd. The 8^th presentation of KLIMS is themed “Efficiency in Motion”, and set to bring forth new momentum for the fuel-efficient and green revolution that is currently happening in the automotive industry.

Datuk Aishah Ahmad, President of MAA and Chairperson of KLIMS13 organizing committee said “KLIMS13 is without doubt the showcase of automotive marques which are making aggressive moves to generate buzz on their range of leading edge vehicles. KLIMS13 is poised to lift market sentiments and generate excitement for the love of automobiles and motoring technologies. It is the show for visitors to check out new launches, concept cars, prototypes or special project vehicles and gain product information on vehicles that are revolutionizing the market”

Datuk Aishah Ahmad added that “MAA has pulled all stops to present a good show for visitors. Besides the largest car displays, visitors can expect to find every product and accessories related to the automobiles under one roof. We are confident that visitors will find KLIMS13 a show stopping event packed with automotive action.”

KLIMS13 will cover 30,000 square metres of exhibition space with 78 exhibitors and an expected turnout of over 330,000 visitors. Major car marques and automotive products companies are showcasing hundreds of novel and state-of-the-art auto products. Visitors can expect exciting exhibits from Citroen, Daihatsu, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Lexus, Nissan, Perodua, Peugeot, Toyota, Subaru and Volkswagen.

If the enthralling and largest display of brand new cars and concept cars is not enough reason to visit the show, visitors will also be entertained with an exciting line up of show activities and promotions that have been planned throughout the show.

For aficionados of rare vintage cars and those who would like to enjoy a glimpse of cars from bygone years, the American Classic Cars Showcase will display a fleet of more than 30 classic cars ranging from Pontiac, Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet. Fans of the aftermarket and modified cars will find the first ever Malaysia International Auto Salon held at KLIMS13 most engaging. There will be a competition based on the best overall car presentation for body kit, interior, paint and stickers. Visitors can vote for their favorite car by casting their votes for two categories of the competition, the Open Standard and the Open Extreme.

For those eager for adrenaline action, the largest indoor remote controlled cars race is happening at the Tamiya Remote Controlled (RC) Race held at KLIMS13. The entire deck at the Mezzanine floor of Hall 1 is blasting off with the Tamiya Remote Controlled cars races in four categories – the RC Race, the Drift Race, the RC Mini Z Race and the Mini 4WD Race. There will be GT Omega Simulators where visitors can take the race driver’s seat in a simulated Formula One race. The GT Omega simulators are geared for adults, ladies and children.

KLIMS13 is also holding celebrities visit days on 18 November, 2.30pm to 4.30pm and on 21 November, 6.00pm to 8.30pm. Visit KLIMS13 during the celebrities visit day and you may meet screen idols and famous models in person posing with hot vehicles. Fizo Omar, Jehan Miskin, Thanuja Ananthan, Nadine Ann Thomas, Safee Sali and Altimet are some of the celebrities who have confirmed their visits to KLIMS13.

KLIMS13 is also offering car prizes up for grabs. Two lucky visitors will be able to drive home either a Toyota Prius 1.8L Luxury or a Honda CR-Z. In addition, Maybank customers will get the chance to win a Volkswagen Beetle 2.0L TSI when they visit KLIMS13. There will also be daily lucky visitors’ draws to win exciting prizes such as Air Asia tickets, Legoland theme park tickets and automotive products sponsored by KLIMS13 exhibitors.

Those who would like to be kept updated on current happenings at KLIMS13 can join the KLIMS13 social media community at www.twitter.com/klims13 and www.facebook.com/klims13. The organizers are also giving out prizes for those with KLIMS13 photos to share on Instagram at the “Insta-click at KLIMS13” contest, or simply check in at Foursquare to win attractive prizes.

The ticket prices for KLIMS13 are RM15 for weekdays and RM20 for weekends. Children under the age of 12 can enjoy a concessionary ticket rate of RM5 for all days. There is also a family package for parents with up to 5 children under the age of 12 at RM30 for the whole family on weekdays and RM40 on weekends. KLIMS13 tickets can be purchased online at www.airasiaredtix.com or at KLIMS13 ticketing counters at PWTC.

KLIMS13 is organized by the Malaysian Automotive Association and will be held from 15 to 24 November 2013 at the Putra World Trade Centre. For more information on KLIMS13, logon to www.klims.com.my.

Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 Information

Organizer : Malaysian Automotive Association

Show Manager : Interexpo (M) Sdn Bhd

Exhibition dates : 15 – 24 November 2013

Venue : Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours : 11:00am to 10:00pm on weekdays

10.00am to 10.00pm on weekend

About Malaysian Automotive Association

The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) was established in November 1960. The aim of MAA is to support the development and protect the interest of motor traders in Malaysia, as well as to make representation to the various Government bodies on important issues pertaining to the automotive industry.

Besides serving as a liaison with the Government agencies, MAA also communicates industry positions and objectives to the media frequently. To-date, MAA has 235 members, comprising of 49 Ordinary members who are franchise holders and assemblers, 4 associate members nominated by franchise holders and 182 subscriber members from various institutions and associations (banks, stock brokers, etc) who have an interest in the local automotive industry.

Given the continued growth of the Malaysian motor industry, the role of MAA will continue to be one of great importance.

__________________________________________________________________

This Press Release is issued for and on behalf of

Malaysian Automotive Association by Sanns Communications Sdn Bhd