The Saudi International Motor Show (SIMS) showcasing major international brand names in the automotive industry has a starkly different image this year. It seems to have been hit by the industry's gloom demonstrated by many of the world's largest automakers missing at the events launch Saturday. In the absence of industry giants like Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, GM and Ford; Japanese, Korean, Chinese and one French automaker took center stage at an event geared towards showcasing all the worlds new cars. The motor show features 70 different spare parts, auto services, and car accessory companies. SIMS, organized by Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd. at Jeddah Center for Forums and Events, was inaugurated under the auspices of Assistant Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs for the Ministry of Transportation, Mufareh Bin Muhammad Bin Saleh Al-Zahrani. “We have invited American automakers to celebrate with us the thirtyth anniversary of the SIMS, but they did not reply,” said Thamer Ba-Kirman, a PR representative at the show. He said last year GM had a noticeable presence at the motor show. With the abensce of some of the large names in the industry companies like Toyota and Nissan have enlarged their exhibition spaces to take up 30 percent of the motor show. “The global economic meltdown cannot be ruled out as a major factor for the absence of American automakers in this show,” said Muhammad Ba-Sunbil, a sales consultant at a major car dealership in the Kingdom who used to work at an American car dealership. “The absence of American automakers should not be taken as a surprise amid visible sign of drearier times where sales have declined by 70 percent,” he said. Dealers of American cars in the Kingdom were not available for comment. Despite the global economic crisis and recent reports of decreased Toyota sales worldwide, visitors to SIMS encountered a gigantic Toyota pavilion with cars offered for sale at rates higher than previous years. “Toyota has included two new sections in its pavilion: Yaris Club where (visitors) can sit in spacious seats equipped with computer screens and video games, and “Toyota Race” which depicts the company's participation in sport car events in the Kingdom over the last ten years,” said Muhammad Ba Hassan, Toyota's PR official. Saleh Farid, one of the visitors and a director of a local PR company, said that he was very disappointed with this year's show as most car companies failed to participate in the international event. Another exhibition visitor, Masoud Al-Hazmi added that he expected this to happen since the international economic crisis has affected most countries and industries including the automobile industry.
