This year’s edition of the Bangkok Motor Show is expected to draw a record 1.9 million visitors during its run until April 7 at IMPACT Arena. That’s a lot of gearheads and supporting families, wives, friends and girlfriends wandering around the manufacturer displays. With that many show-goers taking up space it’s important that you maximize your time and breeze over the mundane displays and catch a glimpse of worthwhile whips at this years show. And in case you were wondering, the pretties are out in full force, stealing the hearts of crowds of auto-geeks, racing bros and just plain creepy dudes with extremely large telephoto lenses.
If you’re looking to buy a car, you’ve come to the right place. The thinly veiled agenda of the show is to sell cars, and there are deals to be had. Manufacturers hope the show pushes up to 60,000 cars out the door.
Buyers will zero in on cars they have been researching, but avid cars enthusiasts with relish the opportunity to be in the presence of some of the greatest pieces of automotive art from this era of car making, and even those from the days of yore.
Hybrid technology is catching on in a big way, and those who appreciate the technology behind the eco-cars will be happy to see many manufacturers opening up and getting technical with consumers. Mercedes has its latest hybrid-drive technology on display; with a shell of an E-Class utilizing Plexiglas windows to displays the guts of the hybrid system used. Ford also deconstructs its hybrid technology with a model engine that’s used in the new Ecosport concept vehicle, which is shown front and center in the Ford zone.
If Green technology means tree hugging and slow 0-60 times then you wont be completely bummed out by the 34th edition of Bangkok’s gearhead pow-wow. There’s some serious performance to admire here, and it comes from all over the globe. Right here in our own backyard is 999 Motorsports, which is debuting their dedicated track car, the Supersport. The racing machine is built right here in Thailand, and uses a tubular frame, a built Ecotec engine from GM, and plenty of carbon fiber bits. The car retails for roughly 2.5 million THB and is sure to destroy cars five times its price on the track.
The staple luxury performance brands have a solid showing, with Lambohrghini showcasing its flagship model, the Aventador. If you haven’t heard of the Aventador already you will surely benefit from witnessing what is known only as madness on wheels. The V12-powered Italian hypercar was voted supercar of the year by the folks from Top Gear, and they know their stuff. The chiseled lines of the Aventador contrast with the conservative lines of Porsche’s performance car, the 911. You can find the German manufacturer right next door to its Italian competitor. The all-new 911, dubbed the “991-generation” is on display for consumers to check out. Look for a wider track, retro style queues and a lightning fast PDK transmission. Sadly, Ferrari does not have a display area at this show, however England’s Jaguar marque touts a brilliant blue XK coupe.
Everyone knows that real men buy trucks, and there’s no shortage of four-wheel drive machinery on the show floor this year. An interesting entry to the SUV market comes in the form of Great Wall Manufacturing’s Haval line of Chinese-built SUVs. China has certainly come a long way in recent years in terms of auto manufacturing, and the company has promised to set up a SUV production factory in Thailand to the tune of US$300 million dollars. Isuzu is proudly displaying their off-roading king, the D-Max V-cross, which can accommodate an entire tent setup in the bed of the truck.
The ultra-luxury segment of the market is on the rise in the kingdom, and Rolls Royce has a very large space dedicated to showcasing their 27-42 million THB automobiles. A White Rolls Royce Ghost is shown, and it is one of only 35 in the entire world.
