OREANDA-NEWS. On 11 April 2008 was announced, that the presentation of the Moscow International Automobile Salon-2008 which will run August 26 through September 7 was held at the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre.

MIAS-2008 will be held under the patronage of the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA) and the running dates of MIAS-2008 are included into the official calendar of international automobile salons. The organizers of the Autosalon are the Association of Russian Automakers and the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre. The Crocus Expo is the exclusive show operator. The event renders active support of the Automobile Manufacturers Committee (AMC) of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) in the Russian Federation.

Alexander Bortsov, the First Deputy Director ZAO CROCUS INTERNATIONALС, welcomed guests and participants of the presentation. According to Alexander Bortsov as of today the calendar of events of the most significant event for automotive specialists and fans has been compiled for 90%. "The principal goal of the presentation is to demonstrate the course of preparation to the exhibitions InterAuto and the Moscow International Automobile Salon-2008. Even now half a year prior the show we may definitely state that the exposition floor plan has been completed ", - he noted.

Konstantin Laptev, the Vice-chairman of the Association of Russian Automakers (OAR), Director General AMO ZIL, Igor Korovkin, the Executive Director of the Association of Russian Automakers of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) in the Russian Federation, Irina Sharovatova, the Head of the Exhibitions Working Group of the Automobile Manufacturers Committee (AMC) of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) in the Russian Federation, Marketing Director Ford Russia, and Dmitry Gulin, the President of the Association of Russian Automobile Dealers, participated in the presentation.

The Moscow International Automobile Salon-2008 will be held on the fair grounds of the Crocus Expo IEC for the second time. As two years before MIAS-2008 will be split into two sections: the Moscow International Automobile Salon with world and European premiers of passenger cars segment and the Specialized exhibition of automotive components InterAuto.

The overall exhibit space of the Autosalon will comprise 63 000 sq m. The show will run for 13 days, the first two day will be allocated purposefully for press. Thus the work August 26 and 27 (press days) will arranged in 15 minutes or 30 minutes presentations and press conferences at stand of the leading worldwide car makers. The press conferences schedule has been compiled already. The large scale press conference on the Official Opening of the Autosalon-2008 will take place August 27 at 01:00 p.m. The third working day of the Autosalon will be a “specialists only” specially allocated for specialists, wholesalers and suppliers. August 29 through September 7 will be General Admission Public Days.

The 4th International Specialized Exhibition InterAuto will be traditionally held within the frames of the Autosalon. Spare parts and components, accessories, car care products, equipment for manufacture and after sale maintenance, commercial transport will be exhibited at the exhibition InterAuto. The overall exhibit space of InterAuto will comprise more than 50 000 sq m. The show will run for 5 days: August 27 through 31, 2008.

The preliminary statistics data on the coming Automobile Salon-2008 were announced at the presentation. The overall exhibit space reserved by 800 exhibiting companies from more than 30 countries comprises about 120 000 sq m. There will be presented new models by 60 automobile brands including such prominent car makers as AUDI, BMW, FORD, HONDA, HUMMER, INFINITI, JAGUAR, LEXUS, MAZDA, OPEL, PORSHE, SUBARU, MERCEDES-BENZ, TOYOTA and many others. The participation of worldwide market players instill confidence in expected number of visitors at 1,5 million. It is expected that the head of OICA with his wife, the heads of the leading global automaking companies and representatives of high ranks from the governmental bodies of authority will also visit the Moscow International Automobile Salon-2008.

As its popularity and success rate has grown the Moscow International Automobile Salon-2008 has developed to incorporate more than just an exhibition. The special events of the business program serve to attract leading exhibitors and visitors and allows all participants the chance to broaden their knowledge and of course their sales potential. The calendar of events haven't been completed by today but the organizers assured that such key events as the 8th Congress of production engineers in motor car industry (August 27, 2008), the 1st Conference of Russian Autodealers (August 27, 2008), the conference Automobile Business co-jointly organized by the Crocus Expo IEC and newspaper Vedomosti (August 28, 2008) and the 3rd International forum Automobile Industry of Russia: Effect of Integration (August 29, 2008) are in the calendar already. The salt of the Automobile Salon will be the fact that for the first time in 14 years of its lifetime the Association of Russian Autodealers will organize its own professional event. Thus all three key elements of automobile business will be presented at the exhibition: national and foreign producers of passenger and commercial vehicles, autodealers and of course consumers.

MIAS-2008 will also incorporate a splendid entertainment program including beauty contest Miss Auto Barbie, test drives, master classes and presentations. The territory of the exhibition complex Crocus Expo will offer special plots for test drives and mass entertainment events and there will be allocated trade and entertainment area during the show dates where one can have a cup of coffee, buy some souvenirs and enjoy a fashion show.

Free parking for 15 000-18 000 cars, free shuttle bus service from/to metro station Strogino is guaranteed for the visitors. Negotiations with traffic police on rational traffic organization aiming to avoid traffic jams are under way. The construction of convenient driveways to the exhibition complex is also under way. There are discussions with exhibitors at which organizers strive to agree the delivery of specialists and stand attendants by corporate buses in order to decrease the number of passenger cars involved and negotiations with Metrostroy (Metro construction company) about restrictions related to construction works of metro station Myakininskaya in the Crocus Expo territory during the motor show period.

The primary highlight for the journalists at the presentation were expected world, European and Russian premiers of the Autosalon. The organizers refused to put cards on the table but assured that 2008 will please the visitors with more world premiers versus 2006 edition.

In long-range outlook the organizers plan to hold both passenger cars and commercial transport salons. The concept of a new project devoted to car audio and tuning aspects are being worked at.

All experts participating in the presentation shared opinion that automobile market of Russian booms and according to forecasts very soon will become the most dynamic sector of automobile market of Europe. Russia as distinct from many other countries (USA and Europe) possessing own high-capacity automobile industry is at the same time open minded towards American, European and Asian auto giants. The widest range of cars is present in the Russian national market. This peculiarity and short term background of the Moscow International Automobile Salon well reason the absence of distinctions from other worldwide motor shows which have certain narrow specialization. According to Irina Sharovatova, "We being organizers search for ways not only to strengthen positions in radical branches, but also we try to find specialization - that way of development which will favourably stand out the Moscow Autosalon among other large world exhibitions ".