The first Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur officially opened its doors to a crowd of excited fans and car lovers at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec), Kuala Lumpur on June 9, until 11, 2023.
The show, a satellite event modeled identically after the world’s foremost renowned custom and performance car show in Japan, will feature a lineup of latest car models, custom and modified cars, cutting-edge innovations, performances, workshops, car club gatherings, local and international exhibitors.
In addition to local and international exhibitors, Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur also feature a line-up of race queens from Japan and cosplayer singing performances by Rina-Hime and Hayate Konno.
The event was officially opened by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
In his speech, Tengku Zafrul congratulated the organisers for the innovative undertaking to bring the Tokyo Auto Salon outside of Japan.
“I sincerely believe the show will bring exceptional value to not only Malaysia and the Asean region but also serve as an important catalyst for greater business opportunities between Japanese and the regional automotive and aftermarket industry players.
“Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur serves an important and influential platform to cultivate and enhance business opportunities and collaborations. This is an area that greatly interests and continues to be pursued by Malaysia and one that I hope Malaysian businesses and entities will take full advantage of,” he said.
Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur is organised jointly by Muse Group Asia and Element X Strategies, together with San Ei Corporation, the owner of the Tokyo Auto Salon intellectual property.
Also present at the launch were Element X Strategies chief executive officer and director Jason Yap, MUSE Group Asia chief executive officer Riduwan Matni and San Ei Corporation chief executive officer Hidenori Ito.
“Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur kicks off with humble beginnings in 2023. It is nowhere as large as the original show in Japan but we are optimistic of progressively growing the show moving forward,” said Yap.
He added, “What we lack in scale we believe we have more than compensated for in terms of quality of the displays and exhibits. The participation of renowned tuners from Japan and the arrival of specially-tuned and award-winning cars, in addition to the spectacular participation of locally-modified vehicles, have also given the show an exceptionally high degree of prestige worthy of the Tokyo Auto Salon.”
“The love for Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) cars is exponential worldwide and the Tokyo Auto Salon has been at the epicenter of this phenomenon. Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur is envisioned to become a strategic hub for both enthusiasts and our members in Asean,” said Riduwan.
Malaysia is one of few countries outside Japan to host the Tokyo Auto Salon. Two other host countries for the Tokyo Auto Salon are Thailand and Singapore.
)
