Automechanika Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s leading regional trade fair for the automotive industry targeting trade visitors from ASEAN is expected to attract more than 6,000 visitors when it is held 19 – 21 March 2015 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The ninth edition of the 7,500 sqm show will be organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE). It is supported by the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI).
Fiona Chiew, deputy general manager, Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd said: “To accommodate the projected increase in exhibitors and the high quality buyers, we are adding an extra hall to the show, making a total of four halls. The increased exhibition space reflects the enormous potential of the ASEAN automotive market. It is now the world’s second-biggest growth automotive market after China. In particular, the Malaysian car market saw record vehicles sales of more than 652,000 units in 2013 and this is expected to continue due to the competitive pricing of foreign cars and price reductions following market liberalisation.”
Supporting the increased demand, figures show that the ASEAN automotive market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8 percent to reach 4.71 million vehicles in 2019. Furthermore, total vehicle production in ASEAN is expected to grow at the CAGR of eight percent to reach 7.05 million units in 2019. This will position ASEAN as a major global automotive production hub.
“Go Green” zone
As one of the local automotive industry benchmarks the “Go Green” concept was created at Automechanika Kuala Lumpur 2011 to support the goals of “Green Automotive”.
To meet industry demands, and to support the Malaysian government’s National Automotive Policy (NAP) for a sustainable automotive industry, the event will further enhance its “Go Green” concept to cover energy efficient vehicles (EEV), remanufacturing and car care industry sectors.
“Go Green” will feature related products and services, together with a series of interactive activities, demonstrations and seminars that will promote networking and the sharing of market news updates. MAI’s chief executive officer, Madani Mohamad Sahari said that NAP’ s aim is to transform the Malaysian automotive industry in order to face global challenges. “NAP’s roadmaps contain plans for the development of green technologies which are required for energy-efficient vehicle (EEV) production to achieve an environment-friendly supply chain, enhancing competitiveness and ensuring the industry’s sustainability. The objective is to make Malaysia a regional EEV hub by 2020. Automechanika Kuala Lumpur will be a good platform to promote the green concept to industry players. In this context, MAI supports Automechanika Kuala Lumpur by co-organising with Messe Frankfurt the MAI Automotive Aftermarket Conference 2015 and a Malaysian Green Pavilion,” Sahari added.
European Pavilion
Following its success at the 2013 show, the European pavilion, which aims to encourage European companies to invest in ASEAN’s fast growing auto market, will return to the 2015 show. Figures show that Malaysia is the European Union’s second most important trade partner in ASEAN, and ASEAN is the world’s fifth largest EU trading partner.
From a Malaysian viewpoint, the EU represents the country’s third most important trade partner in terms of geographical areas, after Northeast and Southeast Asia. Furthermore, in 2012, the EU was the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Malaysia. It has grown from EUR 9.4 billion in 2006 to EUR 24 billion in 2011, the third highest in ASEAN, making Malaysia a key EU strategic partner.
