Celebrating a decade of automotive exposition excellence, the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) will celebrate its 10th year of staging world-class auto exhibitions this year. Once again, the 2014 MIAS show will be held on April 3 to 6 with over 30,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor exhibit floor areas at the World Trade Center (WTC) and Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC). Last year, MIAS welcomed more than 96,000 visitors during its four-day weekend show despite the extremely hot summer heat.
With about a ten percent rise in visitor traffic, Jill Ang, the Managing Director of Worldbex Services International, organizers of the MIAS said they had 28 automotive brands join the show and nine new model debuts and launches held. As a supporting event, MIAS successfully held its fifth consecutive year the Petron-MIAS Custom Classic Car Competition with over 80 cars vying for top honors competing for the best-of-show and other category wins. The Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) is also holding its annual Driver of the Year gala awards night on the second day of the MIAS, honoring the country’s top drivers in various motorsport disciplines. AAP is the country’s oldest and biggest auto club founded in 1931 and is a non-stock and non-profit organization committed to the general welfare of motorists, promoting road safety motor sports and championing green mobility in the Philippines.
Another popular showcase last year was prepared by Autoplus Sportzentrium, the country’s exclusive distributors of Motul lubricants who celebrated Motul’s 160th year anniversary by showcasing pairs of collectible new and classic cars in their pavilion. Among the display were – a classic 1965 Mustang GT350 and paired with a 2013 Shelby GT500, a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL paired with an AMG SLS “Gullwing” model, a 1989 930 Turbo and a 2011 911 GT2 (997). Other notable cars on display were the 1965 Lola T70 and a 1971 Pantera de Tomaso. “Our display area is a tribute to automotive engineering and Motul’s rich racing history,” explains Carlos Gono, Managing Partner of Autoplus.
Since 2005, it has been a partner of various organizations like the AAP, the Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI) and TRS (Tuason Racing School) who is a staunch advocate of road safety. The public introduction and showcase of the Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P) awardees is also a regular feature of the MIAS where the winning cars are displayed in the World Trade Center’s entrance lobby, honoring this sought-after accolade. In previous years, only the Car of the Year awardee is displayed but starting last year, CAGI added the Truck of the Year award and this year’s winner will also be prominently displayed side by side with the COTY. It was also last year that MIAS started displaying the category winners on the open fair grounds on the driveway area of the World Trade Center, adding more square footage to its ever-expanding exhibition space.
The Manila International Auto Show shall run from April 3 to 6, with show hours from 10am to 10pm daily (Thursday to Sunday) at the World Trade Center and Philippine Trade Training Center. Entrance ticket to the show is Php100 with a 20% discount for senior citizens.