AFTER A TWO YEAR wait, the exhibition halls finally opened once more, officially starting the 7^th Singapore Motor Show, one of South East Asia’s most prestigious and celebrated motoring events last November 11 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

This year marks itself as a milestone of sorts with more than a hundred exhibitors present including first-time participants Mercedes-Benz and Chevrolet.  They join Singapore Motor Show mainstays such as Alfa Romeo, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Saab, Ssyangyong, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota.  Also dazzling the crowd with their new models are Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce.

The theme for 2004, “Drive the Future” couldn’t have been more appropriate with dozens of world-class concept cars from the members of the Japanese Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (JAMA) as well as new showroom models and various future fuel technology cars.

Pure Exotica

This year lacks nothing when it comes to exotics with various examples, some shown for the first time in the South East Asian market.  Among the highlights include the all-new Porsche Boxster, with its re-shaped front facia and retuned engine; the monstrous 6.2-liter V12 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster and its German rival, the V10-powered Porsche Carrera GT; the ultra-luxurious Maserati Quattroporte, Rolls-Royce Phantom and 100EX; the race track ready Lotus Elise 111R and Exige Mk II and many others.  The Americans and Japanese aren’t sitting on the exhibition hall sidelines either.  There’s the all-new Chevrolet Corvette and SSR pick-up roadster, the Mazda RX-8, the Nissan 350Z Roadster, the Honda S2000 Mk II, and a preview of the upcoming 300 horsepower 6-speed Mitsubishi Evolution IX and Colt Turbo.

The huge gathering of high-priced cars doesn’t mean that there aren’t any family friendly cars on display. Some noteworthy cars that might actually end up on your garage include the facelifted Honda CR-V and Integra, all-new Nissan Cefiro (Teana) and Latio, Chevrolet Optra 5-door, Opel Astra Turbo, all-new Suzuki Swift, and Peugeot 307CC and 407.

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