Thousands throng auto expo despite political tension
By Damar Harsanto
JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of car aficionados packed the Gaikindo 11th Auto Expo 20001 at the Jakarta Convention Center, unperturbed about the building political tension surrounding the premises.
The expo was opened at 10 a.m. on Saturday, about the same hour the members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) started their crucial meeting to impeach President Abdurrahman Wahid at the legislative building, some few hundred meters from the expo's venue.
Tens of combat-ready security officers, including police and military personnel, assigned to protect the MPR meeting, were standing guard alongside the thoroughfare leading to the legislative building and the expo's venue.
But, the expo's visitors didn't apparently care.
The exhibitors, who initially were worried the political showdown between Abdurrahman and legislators would discourage people from coming, were certainly happy to see every booth in the 30,000 square meters exhibition building jam packed with visitors.
"We had a very decisive moment yesterday, but now I'm sure people are coming. The expo will run smoothly, it's a great success," Klaus Biskup, president director of PT BMW Indonesia told The Jakarta Post
Kris A. Mayer, the director of sales, marketing and after- sales service of PT General Motors Indonesia, also looked happy.
"We're here because we believe the expo will run successfully. What happens out there (in the legislative building) and here are two different things," he said.
Sharing Kris' view, Gaikindo's chairman Bambang Trisulo said in his opening speech that since last year, the auto industry had learned to treat politics and business affairs as separate matters.
"The bullish auto market in the first half this year amid the growing political tension at home indicates players in business have learned to disassociate the two things," Bambang said.
Gaikindo reported earlier the country's car sales during the first half this year stood at 148,000 units, an increase of 15 percent from 128,000 in the same period last year.
Rapid growth in domestic car sales had lured many automakers to compete aggressively to win a greater share of the market pie.
They are now proudly exhibiting their products at the expo, which will run through to next Sunday.
Toyota put on display 13 car models at its booth with Corolla Altis -- the ninth generation of Corolla -- at the front and RAV4, Kijang Krista, Kijang LGX, Previe, Crown and the futuristic Fun Coupe at the rear. Corolla Altis is priced at between Rp 240 million and Rp 255 million.
BMW Indonesia are displaying six car models, including BMW 3 series convertible, BMW 5 series, BMW X5, BMW Z 3 and its only classic car BMW 3200S Staatlimousine.
Its main competitor -- Jaguar -- is showing five car models, including X-type and S-type priced from Rp 800 million to Rp 1.1 billion.
French automaker Renault, which bills itself as createur d'automobiles (the creator of the automobile), is exhibiting four models: Laguna, Clio, Kangoo, and Scenic, while its strategic partner Nissan is trying to grab the attention of visitors with Nissan Sentra and Nissan X-trail.
Suzuki is showing its Grand Escudo, which will reportedly be assembled here next year and Aerio, which it predicted to become the "successor" of its popular Suzuki Baleno.
The expo also featured some locally-made cars, including the Perkasa bus made by PT Texmaco and the Kancil which is designed to replace the bajaj (three wheeled motorized vehicle).
The expo was officially opened by the Minister of Trade and Industry Luhut B. Pandjaitan.
The organizers will also hold several seminars during the expo, where antiluxury car activists, billed as GAM, who staged a rowdy demonstration during last year's expo, will also speak.
Gaikindo has targeted 300,000 visitors during the nine-day exhibition, a 20 percent increase from the 250,000 visitors to last year's expo.