The nine-day Taipei International Autoshow (TIA, 台北國際車展) came to an end yesterday, having attracted about 230,000 visitors -- an 8 percent drop from two years ago.
It was a satisfactory year for the biannual show, organizer Taipei Automobile Distributors Association (TADA, 台北市汽車公會) said.
Despite worries over the economy, car distributors had similar budgets as those from previous shows and did not skimp out on the floor, a TADA public relations official said.
She said expectations of attendance were low prior to the show, because of low consumer confidence, high oil prices and concerns about the economy.
Attendance still exceeded initial expectations, mostly as the result of the release of new models and concept cars, as well as consumers looking for discounts and better deals, the official said.
Consumers may have been holding off buying decisions due to the sluggish economy. However, environmentally friendly cars, luxury models and show floor discounts gave some of them enough incentive to put down an order, she said.
Nissan (
Nissan sees the Livina model as a new market niche, combining the fuel economy of small cars, the space of multi-purpose vehicles and the utility of sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Sales of this model line should remain strong this year, Hsieh said.
Honda Taiwan (
However, not all companies were as satisfied.
Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車) spokesman Steven Yang (楊湘泉) said that as the show was closing, most of its gifts had not been handed out.
The auto show is not a dealership showroom, Yang said. Rather, people come to the show to see high-end models, rare vehicles and concerts.
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