A wooden model of a vintage Ford car at the Auto Assured stand during the Total Motorshow that was held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre grounds in Nairobi from Friday to Sunday.
What you need to know:
This year’s exhibition coincides with the month-long celebrations in Germany to mark 125 years since Carl Benz put the first car on the road and named it after his daughter — Mercedes — after his father refused to board it on its first test run.
Since then, the car has had a colourful history with legendary and occasionally eccentric characters like Henry Ford, Kiichi and Eiji Toyoda adding to the innovations that have transformed the vehicle from a convenient gadget to an object of desire, a symbol of financial success and a theatre of romance.
There are motor vehicles; and then there are automobiles.
From the diminutive milk white lithe Jaguar XK sold for an arm and a leg by CMC to the gigantic bright yellow earth movers from Ganatra Plant and Equipment Ltd, this year’s Total Motorshow was a showcase of the best there was to offer on the Kenyan vehicles market
And there was something for everyone — from the youth who commutes to town but dreams of driving a Range Rover some day to the investor who plans to exchange his 14-seater matatu for a 67-seater bus.
Yet, one of the most outstanding showpieces at the exhibition, which ended at the Kenyatta Intrenational Conference Centre (KICC) grounds yesterday was not a real car, but a vintage Ford model made of wood by Quinn Peaks Furniture.
It was mounted on the back of an Auto Assured truck to signify, as the company’s rescue manager, James Waweru put it, that their equipment “can handle even delicate vehicles”. The model was mounted on a towing truck, which Mr Waweru equated to an “ambulance for vehicles” because of the ease with which it can lift broken down vehicles to piggy-ride on the back of the towing trucks.
Bulk
According to Mr Waweru, the bulk of the vehicles Auto Assured tows are involved in serious accidents. In Kenya, accidents claim about 3,000 lives every year and account for more than 50,000 injuries.
Manufacturers and distributors of motor vehicle accessories were also represented with allow rims and wheels distributors making up a significant chunk of this segment. Besides having a functional car, more motorists are paying closer attention to the beauty of their vehicles’ accessories, some of which, like tyres, also improve fuel efficiency, enhance comfort and determine speed and handling.
Tyre making is both a delicate art and a science involving hundreds of technicians trying to produce tyres suitable for various conditions be they wet and slippery tarmac surfaces or rough and muddy rural roads.
Interestingly, most tyre customers in Kenya pay less attention to the quality of the product and the functions for which it is intended.
According to Shalini Gadhai, whose firm sells Pirelli tyres, most customers make their choices based on price.
To get around this challenge, Pirelli has introduced a computerised system that can help customers make enlightened decisions when buying tyres.
By using a touchscreen computer, a customer can find the right tyre based on the model of the car and the type of roads it frequents. When it came to stand presentation, Toyota had among the best stands based on the concept of a camping site.
This could be because their Land Cruisers are popular with tourist companies. But their advertisement for the Toyota Hilux pick-up truck summed it all. “Some cars visit Africa,” it said, “Others work here”. Of course, below it was a photograph of the Hilux on a rough road.
Total, the fuel company that sponsors the event also had an innovative concept based on a petrol station.
Entering the exhibition hall was like making one’s way into a petrol station, complete with a pump and shelves for engine oil, sodas and snacks.
As for cars, there was little doubt that the white Jaguar XK was the show-stopper. Just revving it was enough to make its admirers scream for joy.
“This is the hottest car,” said one of the youthful admirers who was not too eager to give his name.
Jane Munene of CMC said she had sold six since the model was introduced about six months ago. Each costs... ahem... Sh18.9 million. But the car did not impress Samuel Ngunyi, a businessman who drives a Toyota Bb. For him, the car’s clearance was too low.
He clearly preferred the Range Rover “because of our roads”.
This year’s exhibition coincides with the month-long celebrations in Germany to mark 125 years since Carl Benz put the first car on the road and named it after his daughter — Mercedes — after his father refused to board it on its first test run.
Since then, the car has had a colourful history with legendary and occasionally eccentric characters like Henry Ford, Kiichi and Eiji Toyoda adding to the innovations that have transformed the vehicle from a convenient gadget to an object of desire, a symbol of financial success and a theatre of romance.
