Despite the political rallies throughout Bangkok and the Chaeng Wattana area, the 30th Thailand International Motor Expo is sticking to its targets for 50,000 car bookings and over 1.6 million visitors.

The auto fair, one of the largest in the country, runs from today until December 10th at Impact Muang Thong Thani.

The chairman of the organising committee said Thailand has managed to survive many crises in the past, and most of them played out during the Motor Expo, such as the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport by protesters in 2008 and the massive flood in 2011.

"We are confident that we will be able to pass through this year's political situation without problems," he said.

The automobile market is expecting a strong boost from the annual "Thailand International Motor Expo", which will be officially opened to the public tomorrow at Impact Muang Thong Thani.

The event showcases 38 car and 10 motorcycle brands, and marks the year-end auto-buying season in Thailand. Manufacturers not only launch new models during this period, but also offer a large selection of sales promotions to secure the largest number of customers possible.

A large number of sales promotions are offered by virtually every automaker. For example, Ford is offering an interest-free 72-month instalment plan plus insurance for its outgoing Fiesta model.

He said as many as 50,000 orders could be placed at this year's event, which may appear significantly lower than last year's 85,000. However, he noted that the record number in 2012 was due to the government's first-car-buyer scheme, and did not reflect the true market demand in that period.

This year's show highlights seven concept vehicles from Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, MG, Mercedes-Benz and Suzuki, which staged the world premiere of the A:Wind concept that will be the second eco-car model it will assemble in Thailand in 2014. In terms of production cars, highlights include the Nissan Juke, Ford EcoSport, Honda Odyssey, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Colorado, Toyota Yaris, and the Mazda CX-5.

"The concept of the event each year reflects change in the auto-market perspective, and this year I envisage the looming crisis of various crude-oil reserves running dry in the next 50 years," he said. "If we want to end pollution and avert an oil-shortage crisis in a timely manner, carmakers need to find a turning point today. That is how the concept 'Innovative Energies - World-Changing Vehicles' was derived."

In 2012 in Thailand, the car market surged because of the first-car policy, shifting forward consumers' demand for cars in 2013, and resulting in a slight drop in sales in the first half, he said. However, that was followed by a gradual rise towards the time of the Motor Expo, which is the high season for car sales, further boosted by competitive promotions offered by car companies to attract customers and reach their year-end target sales figures.

"Therefore I am confident that visitors will pack the halls and car bookings will be heavy like every year, because Thais still need to have cars and replace them. I forecast 50,000 bookings of vehicles and around 1.6 million visitors at the Motor Expo, generating financial transactions of about THB 50 billion (US$ 1.5 million)."

Tickets for the Motor Expo are priced at THB 100 each. Hours of opening are noon to 10 PM on weekdays and 11 AM to 10 PM on weekends and holidays.