Car show stalls

Howard Campbell, Sunday Gleaner Writer

The Motor Show, the biennial showpiece of the Automobile Dealers Association of Jamaica Limited (ADA), has been postponed. The event was scheduled for February 25-27 at Sabina Park.

ADA chairman Kent LaCroix told Automotives a new date will be determined, but could not say if it would be this year. It is the second time in two years the Motor Show has been shelved.

LaCroix said many issues contributed to the postponement. The main obstacle was cost. he estimates the ADA would have had to shell out as much as J$20 million to stage the three-day show.

Very expensive

"The Motor Show has been advantageous to dealers, but putting on a show of this nature is very expensive and it's unlikely we would have got value for money," he said.

The ADA head said there was also a sharp dip in dealer participation but did not say how significant a decline.

"2010 was a difficult year for the new-car dealers, as a result of the following factors - declining sales, the strong Japanese yen, high duties and high interest rates," the ADA said in a statement last week.

First held in the mid-1960s, the Motor Show has been a popular draw for car lovers over the years. At its last staging in 2007, as many as 90 cars were on show at the National Arena.

The ADA cited the challenges of the worldwide recession as its principal reason for not holding the Motor Show two years ago.

Formed in 1955, the ADA has 19 members. The organisation's primary function is to monitor standards in the local motor industry and ensure government regulations are met.