Kuala Lumpur International Auto Fair 2012 – What a rip off

Never judge a book by its cover …. might I add never to judge an event by the signboard as well. I was just doing my rounds on Monday when I came across this:

I was wondering why I never come across this exhibition before and felt the signage looked classy …. initially I thought it was some furniture fair since the picture of the car looked like some sofa until the words “Auto Fair” stood out to me. Hey, like any fair, it should be made up of an amalgam of cars from various manufacturers, right? … could this be a mini KLIMS?

So off I went to Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) where the event was held and after paying the parking fee, I was somewhat perturbed at what seemed like a pretty empty parking lot. Maybe every one is at work. After dumping my car, I went up to the first floor. There, I could see information saying there are 2 levels of exhibition (ground for bikes and 1st for automobiles). Sounds great.

Then as I wanted to walk in, I was stopped by the ushers, saying I needed to buy tickets. Fine, so I was like expecting RM5 or RM10 …. no …. it was RM20. Ringgit Malaysia Twenty bucks for this:

 Doesn’t matter if you don’t want the F1 simulator, doesn’t matter if you don’t want to Go Kart in the hot afternoon, it’s still going to cost you RM20 to enter. Okay, maybe it worth something inside. (and with me handing over the money, the inner voice kept whispering how can any car dealer expect to sell cars in a place where they charge for entry?). Boy, the word “disappointment” just doesn’t cut it ….

Inside, you’re greeted with more than half of the hall being a mini Naza showroom with bikes and cars arranged without proper demarcation. It’s as if each had its own camp

 You do find really nice bikes here

Always wanted a Vespa …. after seeing the price tag, I think I’ll look elsewhere

Red Indian bikes, anyone?

You get to see some exotics here too:

There was also a Chevrolet section where the new Colorado was on display.

You’ll find fun cars here too

Unfortunately, you’ll also encounter modifications that appeals to a different sort of unique individuals

All in all, it’s like a mini Naza playground for 1/3 of the hall, another half is for modifications and others like …. trucks?

All in all, you pay RM20 for less cars than what you will see at Naza’s showroom along Federal Highway; there are no test cars, no other main stream manufacturers here other than Chevrolet …. I actually ask myself what’s the relevance to the general public?

And guess what? Level 1’s Bike display is closed …. but that has not prevented the organizers from charging the full RM20 fee … and they dare advertise saying there’s 3 levels of display. The organizers, EPE Motorsports targeted 200,000 visitors …. that’s like what? RM4million gross sales tickets? For a show like this?

I guess some people might find it worthwhile to pay RM20 to see skimpy clad women, drag racing, ICE battles, bike demos. I must applaud EPE’s objectives which is to promote motorsports in Malaysia, encouraging the use of safe after market components  … but if you’re going to charge RM20 for each participant, don’t expect a huge turnout. And they want to have this as an annual event so feel free to join next year if you’re curious to see what it has to offer. Personally, I felt cheated.

B*tch mode, off

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