Busan motor show fails to inspire enthusiasts



The Busan International Motor Show finishes today. As of Saturday, nearly 800,000 visitors had gone to see it, and, with an average daily count of 95,000 people, the final count is expected to come in at almost 1 million. However, visitors seem to be less than satisfied with the event. The questions-and-answers board on the show`s website is riddled with postings describing the show as a disappointment and a mere extension of dealership showrooms.
To a certain extent, the comments may be true. Of the five local carmakers with a full range of vehicles, two companies - Renault Samsung Motors and Ssangyong Motor - only put on show vehicles that had already been launched.
Although Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors did have vehicles that made their local debut at the show - Hyundai Motor`s Genesis Coupe and Kia Motors` Soul - they were cars that had been unveiled months earlier at foreign motor shows.
GM Daewoo`s exhibit was perhaps the most distinctive among the country`s major carmakers. It was clear that the company tried to make its booth interesting, with unusual vehicles such as the 1915 Cadillac, which was the same model as Korea`s first motorcar (delivered to the last king of the Joseon Dynasty), and a hydrogen car called the Chevrolet Equinox.
Freign carmakers were no exception in presenting less-than-breathtaking displays.
Of the 14 foreign carmakers taking part in the show, Honda was the only one to have a car make its world debut at Busan. However, Honda`s world premier was the latest version of the luxury sedan Legend, a reputable but hardly exciting car.
The quality of local auto shows can be partly explained by the small size of the domestic car market.
About 1.2 million automobiles were sold here last year. Even though experts are projecting this year`s total car sales to come in at over 1.3 million, the country`s automotive market is less than a tenth the size of the U.S. market, and a sixth of the Chinese market.
According to a high-level official at a U.S. carmaker`s local branch, the costs of participating in a motor show in Korea can run as high as several hundred thousand dollars. With the costs running so high, and sales in Korea accounting for a tiny fraction of their global sales, some foreign automakers feel that there are more efficient ways to spend their marketing budgets.
"The cost of participating in motor shows is quite high, and some companies can better afford the costs than others," said one official. He added that carmakers with small monthly sales can`t be expected to spend the same amount as those with a larger market share such as Honda, which sells more than 1,000 cars each month.
"Instead of taking part in a show whose effects are questionable, some companies are opting to host separate marketing events."

By Choi He-suk

(cheesuk@heraldm.com)

Everyone is heading to china these days. They see 1 billion potential consumers and piss their pants on the flight over. lol. Beijing car show was pretty good I hear.

Many manufacturers are starting to focus around China. The other top flight shows are becoming second teir. Some manufacturers haven't made the jump quite yet but in a couple years time I see it increasing.

Shows like North American Internation Auto Show in Detroit will still be a major show as it caters to vehicles one wouldn't see in China just yet. Same thing goes for the Geneva and Frankfurt shows.