Dr Prachin Eamlumnow, who is the president and CEO of Grand Prix International PLC and the chairman of the 38th Bangkok International Motor Show, noted that over the years, the Bangkok Motor Show had consistently drew high numbers of visitors.
Since 1992, the annual motor show has attracted between 1.59 and 2.1 million visitors at each edition.
In the last five editions, it drew 1.65 to 1.96 million visitors.
The show is held from March 29 to April 9, 2017 at Challenger Hall 1 – 3, Impact Muang Thong Thani.
Dr Prachin Eamlumnow with ambassadors of the 2017 Bangkok Motor Show.
"Even the Tokyo Motor Show organiser, which has seen visitorship decline to below 1 million from a peak of over 1.4 million, is consulting us, on increasing their visitorship count," Dr Prachin told journalists on the sidelines of the motor show.
"We target for 35,000 vehicles to be sold at the 2017 motor show. Last year, about 32,000 vehicles were sold at the motor show. Our top record was 43,000 vehicles sold at the motor show a few years ago, after the Government introduced the first-car buyer scheme."
Dr Prachin said the booths and materials used at the Bangkok Motor Show are of high standards and quality.
"We take our motor show constructors to Geneva, Paris and Frankfurt to study the designs and materials at the motor shows there. We are among the top five in the world when it comes to construction and design of motor shows."
New developments in Thai auto industry
On another note, Dr Prachin pointed out Thai automotive and motorsports activities are poised for further progress in the next few years.
"The Government is building a vehicle proving ground in Rayong, which is expected to be ready early next year. The Japanese are our advisors for the project, which will be used to test cars, parts and automotive technology. We will also build a race track in Chonburi province, which will be ready in two years. This race track will have similar specifications with the one in Buri Ram," he said.
To recap, Chang International Circuit (named after the beer company) in Buri Ram located in north-east Thailand, about 410km from Bangkok, was opened in 2014 and is the first FIA Grade 1 circuit in Thailand, which means it can run Formula One races.
According to Dr Prachin, the Thailand Board of Investment is also encouraging investments in electric vehicle (EV) production.
"We have a five-year plan for the automotive industry in Thailand. Apart from eco car, EVs are also an important aspect of the plan. We also hope to produce EVs for export. We are the first country in Asean to have this vision. We are inviting companies from China to invest and set up lithium-ion battery production facilities in Thailand. Of course, as EVs are relatively new, we foresee that only the wealthy will buy EVs in the initial stage."
