Fast forward to 2006, and I am no longer that naïve young man gawking at the Yokohama girls. Confident, educated, and a whole lot more experience with girls left me with the distinct impression that I wasn’t going to pay any attention to the bevy of beauties on show. The fact that I am now one of those who has not missed a single issue of Autocar Asean since its launch in Malaysia a few years ago made me even more confident that I was going to thoroughly enjoy the event for the right reasons.Armed with a pretty impressive looking Olympus E-500, I head out to PWTC with my best friend, Dhan.

It wasn’t long before I was pissed with something (as regular readers might have noticed). I can’t find a proper parking space that does not cost a low-wage earner weekly income! Anyway, I was quite simply delighted to discover that my University ID can be handy when it comes to the issue of discounts. At RM5 only, I felt that it was a bargain.

The first thing I noticed was the number of people there. This must have helped MAA in its bid to make KLIMS the premier motorshow event in ASEAN in the coming years, rivaling that of Thailand.

I was bitterly disappointed with Proton for making their stand such a non-event, from the use of lackluster props and, forgive me for being a tad rude, not-so-pretty girls. It should not have been such a big factor, if it wasn’t for the fact that the product on display wasn’t that impressive either. It was dull and unexciting, with the exception of the Lotus APX concept car.


The rest of Hall 1 was not that impressive either. I was impressed with the funky looking yellow Swift Sport. I like the Cowboy theme used by Modenas. As for the rest, well…let’s just say that Trucks and Buses don’t really set my heart on fire.


Hall 2 was much better, and livelier. This is probably helped by the fact that as soon as you entered it you are greeted to a very mean looking Renault Kangoo. I never thought that an ugly car like Kangoo can look appealing, but after seeing this jacked-up version, I want one! Renault was inventive in its approach, and there’s one Kangoo dressed up like a 70’s hippies van. The girls are even decked out in flower-motif dresses. Talk about psychedelic!

Hyundai gave us, well, Hyundai. However, I must say that I am mightily impressed by the new Santa Fe and its bold lines. Not so impressive is the interior of the NF, Azera and its ilk. Looks good on the outside, but left wanting inside. The girls could learn to be a little bit more cheerful, IMHO.

Nissan was very businesslike in its approach, the girls in drab suits. There’s a weird circus act in its presentation where there are guys busy bending their body around each other. Though I think the presentation sucks (too drab, too serious), I was delighted to see a proper concept car in the shape of the Nissan Sports Concept. I was again flabbergasted at the sight of the 350Z Fairlady (Dream car 1).

The In-Car-Entertainment section also gave us a pleasant time with some seriously loud speakers and gorgeous girls. Particularly impressive were the Yokohama girls (AGAIN!). More on the girls later… The Brabus set-up was quite impressive in concept and execution. You really felt that you are special when you’re in their zone. Naza, riding high on its recent two launches, showcased the sports concept version of the Sutera and Bestari. Looks great, though I can’t understand why car manufacturers would want to drab their concept car in black. It should stand out!

Hall 3 was even more impressive as here we find the Peugeot stand where the sweet-looking (though badly reviewed) 407 Coupe makes its Malaysian debut. Whether it’ll be on sale is unclear, but the 307 Cc definitely is. Perodua took a much bigger space this time around, though I personally think it was wasted on cars that you can find on any clear day at those Sunway workshops.

Mitsubishi didn’t offer anything much for petrol heads, though their girls are perky, amicable and camera-friendly. Mazda, with its Zoom-zoom motto, showcased their entire passenger car range, with the superb MX-5 (dream car 2) on display and the beautiful concept Cx-7, which looks ready for production anyway.


The Volvo stand attracted a huge audience for two reasons. (1) They had great looking cars (2) They had good looking girls. Plus, the whole stand was well thought out. The C70, which is due to make its debut later this year in Malaysia, was well-received though the pictures doesn’t really show how big this car is. Not for teenagers then. Perhaps the C30 can settle that conundrum. Also on display was the 3CC concept car.


Toyota showcased a few concepts but none impressed me. It looked too ultra-futuristic. The Toyoto supermini, Yaris, is on sale right now, but at the price it’s being offered I think a Suzuki Swift would be a better answer.


I like Ford’s 4Trac concept, with its imposing front grill and muscular bodyline. Also on display was the Ford Focus ST, in quite simply stunning orange paint, though sadly this won’t be on sale in Malaysia.

There was Honda at the next hall. In fact, the whole hall was split evenly between Honda and Mercedes-Benz. Honda featured two great-looking concept car, the boring-sounding Sports 4 concept and the FCX concept. However, I was more impressed with the Modulo-kitted new Civic (dream car 3). Unfortunately, there was no sight of the now-famous yellow Civic Type-R recently launched by Jenson Button.
Mercedez-Benz had its usual range of cars, and not so unusual in the shape of the McLaren SLR (NOT the greatest car in the world, but damn it looks sexy).

The surprising thing for me was that the most awe-inspiring display of sexy motoring was given not in one of the main halls but in a small hall wholly controlled by NazaWorld. On display was a collection of the most desirable sports cars out there, and one not marked by the term “Concept”. I don’t care if there are no models hanging around. The sight of red Enzo, black M6 and M5 (dream car 4), 997 Carrera, Carrera GT, Lambo Gallardo (dream car 5) and Pagani Zonda is enough to cover my entrance fee.


GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS
I would have thought I would have outgrown it, but there’s something about these girls that fascinates us men. The combination of muscular looking cars and demure looking ladies are a sight to behold. However, I must say that I am possibly bored of the generic looking skimpily dressed fair girls manning the stand. I can’t differentiate the girls from Bridgestone to the one from Honda. Perhaps that’s why I was a bit giddy at the Perodua stand because, well, they were the only Malay girls there.

Though I admire them, I do respect them. This aspect seems to be lost to some of the guests, who talked and treated these ladies as objects rather than human beings. I am particularly miffed with guys who take pictures with these ladies while hugging them.

There’s this one MALAY guy who had the gall to slowly slide his hands to the ass of one “showqueen”, and I was glad she managed to politely ask him to stop. It was embarrassing to say the least to witness these incidents. Then there are those who do nothing but just stand there and stare…stare…stare…Even I got a bit annoyed, so I imagine the girls must have it harder.

At the end of the day, though I hate to admit it, without these girls my verdict for the show would be much-much different.


Here’s to sweet dreams of a hot car…