This year’s 19th Sofia Motor Show will not surprise with quantity, but will try to dazzle its visitors with quality.

The show, which enjoyed success in the years of Bulgaria’s economic boom, could not escape from the challenges every car dealer faces at the moment, with fewer people looking to buy a new car.

In an attempt to continue the tradition of having a light motor vehicle expo in Sofia every couple of years (it alternates with a heavy motor vehicle expo), organisers have decided to reach a compromise that would more or less turn the 2009 motor show into a flashy exhibition stand rather than a place where deals are struck.

Another reason is that some of the world’s leading manufacturers will miss the motor show, among them Audi, BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo, Ford, SAAB, Hyundai, Porsche, Mini, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and Maybach.     

To compensate for their absence, organisers have arranged 27 models to make their debut in Bulgaria at the motor show. The list of debuts announced on the motor show website show to an extent just how some leading manufacturers are affected by the crisis. Most of the debuts are of French and Japanese models, with Toyota holding the lead with six (which includes two new Lexus models), followed by Renault with five and Peugeot with three. To add to the Japanese domination, Mazda, Honda and Suzuki are also on the list. This means that out of the 27 new models that will make their debut in Bulgaria, 10 are from Japanese manufacturers. Japanese companies also hold the lead in the new models segment, with four out of the 11 new models that will make their world debut at the show.         

This appears in proportion to market shares in Bulgaria, since, according to June 8 data from the Association of Car Manufacturers and their Authorised Representatives for Bulgaria (ACM), dealers sold 12 432 new cars, lorries, buses and motorcycles in the five months up to May (half the number for the corresponding period last year),  with Toyota holding the lead with 1432 units, or 10.73 per cent of the market. The runner-up was Volkswagen, followed by Peugeot.

Of the US manufacturers, only Cadillac and Chevrolet will exhibit models, which even if there was no crisis would not be surprising because US models traditionally do not enjoy much popularity among Bulgarian consumers given their expensive maintenance, large size and fuel consumption.
 
As an additional attraction, the event will show a number of boutique models, owned by private collectors from Bulgaria, part of the Top Gear Shell Collection. A nice specimen is the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS Eau Rouge. There are just 10 such vehicles in the world and, fortunately for organisers, two are in Bulgaria. Other rare models on display will be the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Nero, Morgan Aero 8, Nissan GT-R, Mercedes-Benz Adenauer, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Lorinser and KTM X-Bow. 

An interesting sight will be the Pia Shell Marathon racing car 2009 prototype designed by students at Sofia Technical University. And to draw the crowds, organisers have decided to lower the entrance fee from eight to six leva. On the last day of the show, a family ticket will cost six leva.

Sofia Motor Show 2009 will be from June 12 to 21 at Sofia’s Inter Expo Centre on 147 Tsarigradsko Chaussee Boulevard from 10am to 8pm.