BANGKOK MOTOR SHOW: Highs and lows

If my father had a dollar for every motor show that as a young lad I forced him to attend, he may have had enough money to buy some of the exotic machinery I sagely advised him to purchase.

In retrospect, an XB John Goss Special would have been a decent investment, but he was right in insisting it wouldn’t have made a great company car. And along with all the advice about how 246 Dinos were certain to appreciate with time were some less sure-fire winners, such as the Purvis Eureka.

Patient man, my father. And one who has sensibly resisted most of my car buying advice over the years.

Still, the opportunity to ogle the latest machinery on two wheels or four made the motor show the second best date on the calendar after Christmas for me as a young man.

I wonder what event Australian kids pine for now that motor shows have pretty much fizzled out? The launch of the latest iPhone I guess.

And Christmas.

In Thailand, however, the show does go on – with Bangkok staging its 37th annual motor show from March 23 to April 3 this year.

Actually, the Thais are a bit greedy with motor shows, with an alternate Motor Expo held in December as well, but then again, most Thais don’t celebrate Christmas, so I guess that’s fair.

The other thing that’s fair is that cars are actually bought at Thai shows. Grand Prix International Public Company Limited – the show’s organiser – reckons nearly 40,000 vehicles were sold at last year’s event, making manufacturer participation a must.

Mazda was aiming to make 4000 sales over the 11 days of the show this year. But I wonder whether cracks are appearing.

Overall, the Thai market is looking wobbly this year. Toyota, which accounts for almost a third of new vehicle sales in Thailand, is expecting a 10 per cent contraction of the overall market in 2016 to around 720,000 units, and the number has been declining since the end of a government subsidy program in 2013.

The luxury end of the market is looking healthier, however. A Porsche representative told me 2015 had been the brand's best year ever; Mercedes-Benz had much the same story; and if you want a BMW M2 in Thailand the 2016 allocation is already sold out.

Rolls-Royce doesn’t divulge sales numbers, but it took the opportunity to unveil a Thai-themed bespoke ‘KoChaMongKol’ Ghost at the show.

Of the mass-market brands, the Colorado Xtreme concept seemed to capture the most attention, proving you don’t need to be exotic to steal a show, even with vehicles that aren’t actually for sale.

Thailand is the source for almost all of Australia's Japanese- and American-brand one-tonne utes, and a range of car-makers showed products that should eventually be sold here.

Ford was a notable exception, but Toyota tried hard with a trio of TRD Sportivos that won't be sold here and Isuzu presented its aggressive new D-MAX X-Series and upgraded MU-X Blue Power models, both of which are odds-on for local release.

Meanwhile, Nissan chose to launch NISMO in Thailand with the Almera NISMO Performance Package, which involves a bit of extra bodywork, alloy wheels, sports suspension and a sport muffler. Plus a brochure that quotes the GT-R's Nurburgring lap time. This show’s John Goss special? Or more a Eureka moment?

I'm not sure, but I’m also no longer sure of the future of these sorts of motor shows. If sales decline far enough, so will manufacturer interest. But if there is no show, how will the industry nurture future car enthusiasts?

And while media coverage is a driver, social media has made everybody a journalist these days – I had to wait to photograph a BMW while the person I assume is the moderator of Fuel Cap Lovers’ Facebook page took a gynecological shot of the M2’s filler. Really.

Meanwhile, the manufacturers are good at playing the game and getting coverage regardless of a show.

Lot of ducks need to be in a row to make a motor show work. And for the moment, they still are lining up in Thailand. For how long I’m not sure. My driver said he wasn’t going to the show. “No money,” he said. “But I’d go for the pretties.” I guess as a young man that’s enough of a draw.