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Car enthusiasts, mark your calendars for October 27 to 29 when Kuala Lumpur hosts IAM-MIME 2023. This automotive extravaganza, backed by the Malaysian Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), will unite modified car aficionados and electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts. Get ready to witness a fusion of personalised car creativity and the latest EV innovations.

IAM-MIME 2023, supported by MARii, seeks to be a hub for showcasing the evolution of car customization and the forefront of electric vehicle technology. It promises an immersive experience where attendees can appreciate the artistry involved in vehicle modification while staying updated on the latest EV advancements.

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When it started in 1979, the Dakar Rally (or Paris-Dakar Rally, as it was known then) ran from Paris to Dakar on the western coast of Africa. 43 years later, the Dakar Rally is still running – but it is actually in Saudi Arabia. In fact, between 2009 and 2019, it was held in South America after being forced to relocate due to security issues along the original route in Africa.

Next year, we will also see another famous event – the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) – not being held in its original city of Geneva in Switzerland but in Doha, Qatar. It will be the first time since the first Geneva Motor Show was held in 1905 that the event is relocating and will be held in November 2023.

The Geneva International Motor Show used to be the first major international motorshow each year, and often had concept cars and design studies as its highlights.

In 2020, the event had to be cancelled at the last moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and urgent measures taken by the Swiss health authorities banned public gatherings of more than 1,000 people. Many other international events around the world were also cancelled or postponed but the cancellation of GIMS also seemed to make carmakers rethink their participation in such events and rethink marketing strategies.

While GIMS has traditionally been the first major international motorshow each year in March (though the North American International Auto Show which runs earlier has gained significance), often seeing the debut of new concepts and models, carmakers also began to see online promotion as becoming increasingly viable. With the pandemic creating uncertainties, commitments were slow to come for their future participation after 2020. As a result, the 2021 and 2022 events could also not run.

”Our team has worked very hard to ensure that GIMS 2023 can take place in both Geneva and Doha,” said Sandro Mesquita, CEO of the Geneva International Motor Show. “In these uncertain times, many brands are not in a position to commit to participating in a show in Europe in the winter. After assessing all the elements, it has become clear to the foundation that the 2023 Salon cannot take place in Geneva as planned.”

BHPetrol

”We have done everything possible to ensure that we could host GIMS 2023 in Geneva in February. The enhanced event format and project had been very well received. But in the end, the risks overweighed the opportunities,” explained Maurice Turrettini, President of the foundation Comite permanent du Salon international de l’automobile de Geneve.

”Due to the uncertainties in the global economy and geopolitics, as well as the risks related to the development of the pandemic, the organisers have decided to focus exclusively on the planning of the event in Doha in 2023,” he explained, adding that the original plan to hold the show in two parts, with the first in Geneva, would not be carried out and only the second part in Doha would be realised.

The Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre in Qatar will be the new home for the Geneva International Motor Show from 2023.

GIMS in Doha will take place in November 2023 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre as well as several other decentralised venues, and will offer many unique and spectacular driving experiences. “We are now fully focused on organising GIMS in Doha and look forward to confirming the dates and format of this ground-breaking event with our partners at Qatar Tourism shortly,” said Mesquita, adding that the event in Qatar is scheduled to take place every 2 years.


The Tokyo Motorshow has also shifted venues since its first event in 1954 (above), but it has always been around the Tokyo area. After the first few years in a park, it moved to a proper exhibition hall in Harumi. By the late 1980s, the event had grown to become a major international motorshow and its venue moved to the huge Makuhari Messe complex (below) near Tokyo Disneyland in 1989. It would remain there until 2009 when conditions changed and the number of exhibitors became less. As a result, the venue was moved closer to Tokyo at the smaller Tokyo Big Sight convention centre (bottom) where it has been since 2011.

Having a colour scheme on your car which is similar to that of the patrolcars of the PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) is a big no-no, as the owner of a Nissan Skyline has discovered. According to The Star, the car (a R32 model) was among the displays at a local autoshow and was seized by the PDRM.

The police also arrested the owner, who will face charges of unauthorised usage of the PDRM logo and livery. The arrest and seizure was confirmed by the Sepang District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Wan Kamarul Azran Wan Yusof, who also said that the car and owner were detained last night.

“We received information that the car belonging to the man which was placed in the autoshow resembled an official PDRM Mobile Patrol Vehicle. Acting on information about the car that was circulated on social media on Saturday, a team from the Sepang Criminal Investigation Division carried out observations and arrested the suspect who is the owner of the Skyline R32,” he explained.

It is understood that the owner of the car had been released on police bail. The case is being investigated under Section 89 of the Police Act 1967 for possessing items used by the PDRM to perform their duties. “Investigations are still ongoing by the police on the suspect who works as a car accessories dealer,” he added.

Accident scam in Kapar, Selangor – but dashcam saves motorist from being tricked (w/VIDEO)

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