Thursday, April 07, 2016

More details on the upcoming MY AUTO FEST 2016


I was at the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) office yesterday for a short press conference. I had earlier mentioned that MAA will be organising a sales and promotion oriented auto exhibition called "My Auto Fest" at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) from 20 - 22 May 2016. This was the official press conference describing the event for us to help publicise.


The purpose of the event was that many of MAA's car company members felt that they should organise sales-oriented and promotion event to encourage better auto sales leading up to the  Hari Raya festive season. This is also in light of the slowdown in passenger cars sales owing to the current economic climate.

According to MAA President, Datuk Aishah Ahmad (above, left), Car companies that would be participating at the auto show include Proton Edar, Honda Malaysia, UMW Toyota, Peugeot, Kia, Citroen, Edaran Tan Chong (Nissan), Sime Darby Auto Connexion (Ford), Jaguar Land Rover (M) Sdn Bhd, Volvo Cars, Motor Image Malaysia (Subaru), Daihatsu Sales Sdn Bhd and Daihatsu Motors Malaysia Sdn Bhd. 

That's at least a dozen or so companies that have shown their willingness to participate. These companies are also working out special packages and discounts for their respective vehicles so that it would be enticing enough for visitors to commit into purchasing them.

Aside from the companies above, MAA is still aggressively promoting the event to encourage more of its members to participate. This includes those selling accessories and other automotive related products aside from just selling cars.

MAA is also in talks with banks and insurance companies so that they can provide financing solutions. I hope this can happen because one of the main reasons that there is a slowdown in sales is due to strict controls by banks in line with the supposed high consumer debt in Malaysia. MAA would like banks to participate and see if they can provide some form of assistance in this matter. 

Visitors will NOT BE CHARGED any entrance fee at all. There will be test drives of the cars by the participating companies. There will also be lucky draws, lifestyle booths, food trucks and F&B kiosks, and children’s games and activities. 

If all goes well and there is a high number of visitors and sales it would not be a surprise if the My Auto Fest is a yearly affair. Note that over in Indonesia and Thailand, there are yearly motor shows (they divide their shows into two actually, a sales related one and a showcase of new launches). So even if Malaysia has a sales oriented one held annually it would be better than what we have right now, which is a large one every few years. 

MAA is targeting for an estimated 75,000 visitors over the three day event. So do remember to keep the dates mentioned above free for a car filled weekend in May. 

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